Anthony Flemming

I was born in London in 1936, into a family of artists. I cannot remember a time when I did not paint and draw. There is a photo of me, aged six, earnest faced, painting at an easel. The photo doesn`t show what was being painted, but I bet it was a boat.

After an undistinguished schooling, at the age of sixteen, I went to Goldsmiths College School of Art. Here I studied for four years under Sam Rabin, Roberts-Jones, Paul Drury and Ken Martin. It was a relaxed time at Goldsmiths and it was a surprise to be awarded a First Class Honours Degree. On leaving Art School I went to Spain, with a couple of fellow ex-students, for a painting holiday. I exhibited and sold work there for a year.

The return to England was prompted by a request from John Cooper to design a racing car. Other design commissions followed from Brabham, Mclaren, Puma and Piper. I continued to paint when possible during this time and after a few years gave my time exclusively to painting.

I was lucky enough to have a number of commissions from companies such as Shipowners Insurance Company, Shell, National Westminster Bank, B.P., Woolwich Building Society, as well as showing paintings. My works are shown in numerous galleries in the UK , US, Europe and Japan. I am equally at home in watercolour or oil.

I became a "Wapper" in 1990 after the obligatory year as a candidate. It was a revelation to find there were other idiots who, like me, attempted to paint outdoors in England. Not only did they enjoy painting `en plein air`, they also liked painting my favourite subjects, sea, sky, mud and boats. So as a member of The Wapping Group of Artists I found myself amongst friends.