Raj is a 64 year old self-taught amateur artist living in Iver, Bucks. Like many people, he enjoyed drawing from an early age, mainly inspired by the Marvel comics he then read. “Unfortunately” his working life and family took precedence for many years so it was a true joy to return to painting after he retired in 2012.

Raj started by using acrylic paints – partly put off by using what he perceived as more traditional oils – but discovered water mixable oils was a godsend (and a lot easier to clean up afterwards!). His true love is portrait painting, usually in a realistic style but more and more trying to become looser in his approach. He is quite old fashioned and still believes that a portrait should capture a likeness and finds it frustrating when it doesn’t and he can’t work out why!

More recently, Raj has started painting using oil paints on aluminium sheet – leaving certain areas of bare metal – making for different and exciting images! Always up for a challenge (and the odd commission of course!).