the story
Andrew's story began in Bermondsey, South London in the early 1960's and until he was fourteen years old he lived with his parents and brother on council estates near Dagenham in Essex. It was a tough and diverse environment which proved to be a good grounding in surviving the inevitable knocks that came his way later in life, however not letting upsets get him down, he always picked himself up and carried on. That is his mindset. It made him determined to succeed by using the prejudice he faced in the heraldry world, to make him stronger. Andrew through sheer grit, hard work, determination and the support of family and friends during his four years of training at art schools and since graduation in 1983 has toiled and worked his way to the top of his field but, importantly, has never forgotten who he is and his where he came from.
His love of history comes from his parents. His home was an oasis of calm, books, art and music. His father would take him for walks around London, to places like the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey. Temple Church and St. John's Clerkenwell and tell him in ways that fired Andrew's imagination, tales of merchants, knights, guilds, kings and people. He pointed out heraldry and his parents took him to museums where he looked in awe at illuminated manuscripts and medieval artifacts. His mother too was very creative and combined with seeing films like King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, Ivanhoe, Robin Hood and the Black Shield of Falworth, at Saturday Morning Pictures, Andrew's love of chivalry, knights, medieval history and music developed.
He spent hours and hours drawing and copying from books, all he ever wanted for birthdays and Christmas were sketchbooks and pencils. He lost himself in a medieval world of knights, Heroes, beautiful ladies, colourful pageantry, mythological beasts, myths and legends. The passion was formed in that sanctuary from the concrete jungle, he called home and it has never left him. This has never been a "job", this is his life, an obsession, a quest for perfection, never satisfied, always developing his work and coupled with his innate sense of the history of this art, he manages to achieve a depth that goes beyond other art of this kind.
making the ordinary,
extraordinary
Andrew's work has been synonymous with hand-painted beauty and creativity since founding his studio in 1983. His attention to detail and dedication to artistic excellence is evident in every design and painting he creates. Andrew is committed to bringing his clients visions to life and creating unique works of art that are perfectly matched to their taste and style, whilst still honouring centuries of tradition.
