"EVERY CHILD IS AN ARTIST. THE PROBLEM IS HOW TO REMAIN AN ARTIST ONCE HE GROWS UP"

PABLO PICASSO (1881-1973)

Phil Bremner

Born :- January 1960 England

As far back as I can remember I have drawn and painted, my parents were always very supportive even when my creativity spilled onto the furniture and walls.

When I left school I had gained a place at art college but my desire to earn money resulted in my choosing to start work at a bank instead. The next thing I knew19 years had passed and I was a director in charge of US Dollar trading at a Japanese bank working 12 hours a day.

Although I frequently used the expression "Life is not a dress rehearsal" I had never had the nerve to live by it. So at the age of thirty five I decided to "retire" from The City and become an artist. Luckily my first exhibition of Formula One cartoons was a sell out which was a great confidence booster. It's strange how hard it is to accept that you can get paid for doing something you love!

My earliest influences were Hanna-Barbera cartoons and the caricatures of Al Hirshfeld. Technically I am in awe of artists like Caravaggio, Valazquez and Degas, I have little doubt that I would have starved to death if I'd had to compete in their times. I admire artists like Dali and Picasso for their desire to experiment rather than stick to a proven commercial formula. I have always dreamed of paying for things with a doodle on the back of a bill like they did.

Whilst I am sure that I could have benefitted from a more traditional grounding in art, I am convinced that it is easier to develop a unique style if you are self-taught. In addition, my years in The City afforded me a degree of financial freedom which allowed me the luxury to experiment with many different media.

Although being an artist has made me happier than I have ever been in my life, I still consider it a business. Success depends on selling pictures. When I was working as a trader I never experienced the buzz that I get now from selling work and knowing that it will become a fixture in somebody's life.

Friends are envious of my new lifestyle, but I think that in some ways, seeing someone else achieve a dream gives credibility to their own aspirations. I wouldn't say that its been easy, but I would recommend it to anyone because the odds on fulfilling a career dream are a lot shorter than winning the lottery!