Robin was brought up on a farm in Worcestershire during the second world war. His favourite subject at school was art, but he was discouraged from pursuing this, as his teachers persuaded him that it was hard to make a living as an artist. 

Robin joined the Royal Air Force at the age of 17 and became an aircraft technician. Over the next 23 years he had many overseas postings, and it was in Singapore when he saw a David Shepherd painting of the 209 squadron pioneer aircraft, that his love for art was reignited. He started painting in oils and this marked a turning point in his career. 

Entirely self-taught, he became completely devoted to painting in his spare time, renting a basic hut in a Chinese village, where he would return after work and paint from 6pm until midnight. 

In his first year, he painted and sold 100 paintings – not only of aircraft, but also still life, portraits, anything his colleagues wanted. He also sold paintings to a Singapore department store. 

Robin came out of the Air Force when he was 39, and went to live near his father in Herefordshire to think about his future. He decided that he wanted to become a full-time painter rather than pursue a more conventional career. It was a brave decision, but he has never looked back. 

In 1976 he got a grant for a one-year course at the Hereford Art College where he studied a range of subjects including photography, ceramics, printing and fine art. He was free to pursue his interests and explore different techniques and skills.

He exhibited in various art galleries and received a generous commission from a Herefordshire family to effectively fill their house with paintings of country scenes and animals. He also used to teach part-time for the Art College, doing a lot of outreach work in hospitals and day centres.  

Robin went on to teach independently and his classes grew and spread across seven counties. He had classes and workshops six days a week as well as private tutoring. 

Every painting in class is done from scratch. He demonstrates his techniques, using different methods and materials to achieve the right effect. He still gets excited each time he embarks on a new painting and enjoys conveying that sense of optimism in class. He feels that all students can acquire the skills to produce a beautiful painting. Robin's classes are a source of enjoyment, creativity, therapy and laughter. 

Painting can be a light hearted occasion with a serious outcome. People come to classes for all sorts of reasons – to be creative, but also to relax, to forget other preoccupations by becoming totally absorbed, leaving their stresses behind. Robin believes that painting can be therapeutic and fun, boosting people’s self-esteem. 

Over the years Robin has expanded his subject base from aircraft to a wide range of other genres including portraits, animals, landscapes and still life. He continues to paint aircraft and his paintings hang in collections around the world, including at the RAF Cosford Museum and at Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, Georgia.