Neil was born in 1954 and spenting his early working life, travelling remote Australia as a stockman and bushman. Eventually leading to over 20 years working in Arnhemland Aboriginal Communities , and in Northern NSW and Qld .
After a chance meeting with Hugh Sawrey while working on Cape York, Neil began doing charcoal portraits of Aboriginal friends and elders for their families and the people who inhabit stations and mining towns of the outback,and while regularly visiting friends and family on reservations in the US and Canada.
With encouragement from other artists and patrons he began painting full-time, after a serious illness between 1998 and 2000 . Mostly self taught he went on to win the Penninsular Festival Art Award in 2000 and 2002, while painting and exhibiting many prominent Northern Territorian identities and characters. His painting of Yidaki Master and Galpu Elder Djalu Gurruwiwi was exhibited in Parliament House Darwin in the Portrait of a Senior Territorian Art Award and the PAA Inaugural. Neil has exhibited in solo and many group shows since then and now paints full- time from his studio on the NSW North Coast.This makes him available for both private and corporate commissions north and west of Coffs Harbour to the Tweed/ Gold Coast and Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast.
” You have done wonderfully well for a self taught artist! Your portraits are full of the force of the individual personality. The objective of all the technical knowledge is to free our means of expression enable us to convey our feelings. I was very pleased to see your strongly expressive work !”
Ted Seth Jacobs
Paris .June 11th 2004
Author : ‘Light for the Artist ‘
‘Dictionary of Human Form ‘
Neil usually likes to do pastel or charcoal sketches during the first sitting and detailed drawings of the eyes and discuss the clients size requirements.
For large oil portraits,three to five live sittings,up to 11/2 to 2 hours each,may be required depending on detail. Prices are dependant on size, medium and travel, however small A4-A3 pastel and charcoal portraits are available between $300 -$ 800 each.
Small oil studies $800- $1500., medium to large oil portraits and full figure $2500 – $5000 up depending on time and size and detail.