THE ARTIST BEHIND THE PICTURE

The artistic talent of Colin Vokes was recognised at infant school. His drawings and pictures were displayed on the classroom walls as his skill developed throughout his formative years.

Born in Chalfont St. Peter, Bucks in 1945, Colin moved at an early age to Northampton, where he lives today with his wife Mary.

Colin left school at 15 to earn his corn in an engineering factory. His immediate aim was to graduate to the drawing office, but his poor grasp of mathematics let him down. The closest he came to an 'artistic' occupation was as a hairdresser. He served a five-year apprenticeship before opening his own salon. This steady job gave Colin the freedom to paint in his spare time.

Once a heavy smoker, the one benefit to come from his habit was that he saved enough coupons to acquire a set of oil paints!

Self-taught - even art school made no impression on this individualist - Colin sold his first paintings to customers in his salon. The first sale raised £3!

Landscapes then, as now, were his favourite subject; though he has depicted trains, aeroplanes and was once commissioned to portray footballer George Best.

Sales of Colin's paintings took a sharp upward turn when they caught the eye of an art specialist from Woburn Abbey. A one-man show followed at the Abbey, then a full time display, from where his works eventually found their way across the world.

Life for Colin during the 1970's was, to say the least, busy. Not only was he hairdressing and painting, but also found time to play in a pop group called 'Speermint', who appeared on television's 'New Faces' talent show in 1975. The group enjoyed considerable sucess over the following years. An ear for music goes with an eye for painting, Colin believes. By 1983, Colin Vokes was painting full time; his son carrying on the hairdressing business.

Colin is fascinated by the changing seasons and has a particular affinity with trees. "Like people, no two are the same", he says. A 'fair weather' painter, Colin often walks his local countryside with sketch pad but stores most of what he sees - or what he wants to see - in his mind, to be revealed in his home studio. His vision is of an unspoilt countryside, rural and traditional, prehaps evoking childhood memories. Colin has an uncanny ability to capture the peace and tranquillity of a scene and convey the feeling to the viewer.

Colin was 'Singed up' by Solomon & Whitehead at the 1991 International Spring Fair. His oil paintings 'Spring Sunshine' and 'Poppy Time' were published as open edition prints in the autumn and 'Water Meadow' and 'Bluebell Path' followed in spring 1992. All the paintings depict idyllic scenes not far from his home.