Paul has been a member of the Society of Wildlife Artists since 2002 and a member of the Artists for Nature Foundation since 2005. Awards include the Bird Illustrator of the Year 97/98, BBC Wildlife Magazine Wildlife Artist of the Year 2002, RSPB Fine Art Award 2004, ANF Award 2005, Swarovski Wildlife Artist of the Year 2022.

Although Paul studied at the Newcastle College of Art and Northumbria University his art career was in parallel with a 30-year career as a Police Officer with Northumbria Police. Even there, Paul’s love of nature was pivotal as he worked as the full time Force Wildlife Crime Officer investigating egg collecting, Badger baiting, and bird of prey persecution.

Since retirement from the Force seven years ago Paul has been a full-time artist and in 2023 moved to the Cowal from Northumberland to continue to pursue his art in wonderful surroundings filled with wildlife.

Paul’s work is based on daily encounters with animals or birds and the initial response is watercolour sketches in hardback sketchbooks. This is followed by larger sketches or watercolour paintings in the field if time allows. Later, in the studio, Paul works in oils or acrylics often on large scale canvases.

It is essential, to capture the true essence of wildlife, that Paul’s work is based on drawing from life and painting ‘en plien air’. When painting, it is the mood, the weather the light and the life in the landscape he is seeking to pin down on paper and canvas.