Colin Smithson

After graduating in graphic design from Canterbury College of Art, Colin worked in London as an illustrator for Penguin Books and various other publishing houses. He returned to the North to live in Swaledale where he continued to work as a freelance illustrator and designer.
 
For the last ten years he has concentrated on painting, exhibiting in galleries across the country. Some recent paintings are reproduced as cards by Canns Down Press.
His work has illustrative qualities, largely inspired by a love for the countryside. He uses strong colour and texture in his paintings to recall small observed moments which invoke a strong sense of place with drama and often humour.