Artist Mick Canning

I have enjoyed drawing and painting all of my life, although I never got around to taking any formal tuition in the subject until comparatively recently. I began to paint seriously after my first visit to India in 1989, when I struggled to find a way to artistically convey my feelings and impressions of this amazing country.

After experimenting with various mixes of watercolour, pastels, poetry and photography, and never feeling that any of my results quite expressed what it was that I had to say, I eventually discovered a style of working in oils and acrylics that went some way towards expressing what I had begun to feel might be inexpressible. This has remained the main focus of my work over the years, although I still continue to work frequently in pastels and watercolour. My travels in the Indian subcontinent also continue to provide rich subject matter, without entirely dominating my work.

I have exhibited regularly over the years at various venues in South East England, as well as taking part in Open Studio weeks. In 2001 / 2002, I had a solo exhibition at the Pleasance Theatre, Islington, London. This exhibition was selected to complement the theatre's production of 'Arabian Nights'.

I have particularly enjoyed running formal and informal workshops with adults with special needs, and in local schools.