Transports of delight (From The Oxford Times)

Transports of delight

3:06pm Friday 11th July 2008 in Food and drink By Ray Jackson

I was born on Tyneside in 1948 and graduated from Newcastle-upon- Tyne College of Art and Industrial Design in 1969, having studied illustration, typography and graphic design.

I developed an interest in motor transport as a small boy when an uncle used to take me to the bus garage where he worked. I was drawing and painting even then and buses soon became my passion.

I was however, sidetracked by music and having jointly formed the band Lindisfarne in 1969, travelled the world performing and recording with them until 1990.

At this time my wife had joined the PR department at Guinness in London and after briefly being indirectly associated with the brewing of my favourite beer, (mostly sampling!), I was offered a job on the events management team, and had a hugely enjoyable ten years in a proper job.

During this time we tired of living in London, and after many summer visits to Oxfordshire, decided to move here, and have now been happily living in Witney for 11 years.

In 2004 I returned to my art and opened a framing/art business just outside Witney, although I now work from home and no longer offer framing.

I have held small exhibitions locally and have done commissions for various local bus companies, including Tappins and Olivers.

I am also interested in including the architecture of Oxfordshire, obviously the glorious buildings in Oxford itself, but also the Cotswold cottages of Great Tew, Witney, Burford and surrounding countryside, and try to incorporate these in my work.

Prints of my Oxford portfolio are sold in the University of Oxford shop in The High and, so I am told, go all over the world as souvenirs.

After my break from Lindisfarne, I continued to do recording sessions for other artists and charity concerts.

I am now incorporating the art with working with a new band called The Gathering, and, although coming up to retiring age, the two projects are working well together once again. We are playing at The North Wall arts centre in Summertown, Oxford, on Friday, October 3.