Paul Horton

I wanted to be an artist for as long as I can remember, on recalling my childhood it seems I was always drawing and painting - it became the very fabric of my life. I owe my art teacher so much, he made art such an enjoyable subject and I spent many happy hours in the art room. The freedom, guidance and encouragement received during my formative years set the foundations for my artistic career. I studied drawing and painting at Bournville School of Art, specialising in life drawing and history of art. I also set out on a career within the printing industry, managing to combine this with an ever-developing style of work in both fine art and illustration, selling and exhibiting my work at regular intervals.

It wasn’t until the autumn of 1997 that I turned professional, dedicating for the first time ever, all of my energy into my art.

I held a major one-man retrospective exhibition in the summer of 1998 entitled ‘All in a Life’s Work’, which was a personal selection of paintings representing my artistic journey. This innovative exhibition also featured a live concert by rock star Steve Harley, who has enjoyed major success, including the classic No. 1 ‘Make Me Smile (Come up and see me)’.

travelled extensively throughout the U.K. for the majority of 2002. My ‘Homes & Hearts’ tour launched my work to many galleries across the country, it was an absolute pleasure to meet so many wonderful people, they have become a great source of inspiration to me.

I am constantly pushing myself in new and exciting directions. As well as my drawing and painting I also lecture art to special needs students based within the community. This is a challenging and rewarding addition to my busy life and a chance for me to give something back.