1933 - Born in Edinburgh, one of five children, his father was an aircraft engineer for the RAF
1948 – 1953 - Attended Carlisle College of Art
1953 – 1955 - National Service in Germany
1955 – 1958 - Attended the Royal College of Art where he was taught by Carel Weight, Rodney Burn, John Minton and Rodgrigo Moniham
1958 - Married Jeannie Anne, they had two children Jeffrey and Liam
1965 - Started work at Hornsey College of Art as Lecturer in Visual Research
1968 - Head of Foundation Hornsey College of Art (students included Anish Kapoor)
1960 – 1970 - Group Shows at John Whibley Gallery, Cork Street
1965 – 1975 - Exhibited with the New Grafton Gallery
1971 - Solo show with John Whibley Gallery, Cork Street
1971 - Moved to Putney, South West London
1973 - Solo Show with John Whibley Gallery, Cork Street
1973 - Head of Department of Coordinated Studies Middlesex Polytechnic
1974 - Became a member of Chelsea Arts Club
1980 - Fellow of the Royal Society of Art
1983 - Head of School of Fine Art at Middlesex University
1983 - A Painter’s Progress published (Ed Ian Simpson)
1983 - Begins a lifelong association with publisher, Phoebe Phillips.
1986 - Chairman of the National Society for Fine Art Education
1986 - Pack Up and Paint (6 Book Series) published by Alfred A Knopf
1987 - Professor of Fine Art and Head of School of Fine Art Studies at Middlesex Polytechnic until his retirement from education in 1994
1986 – 2012 - Published 26 books on painting, drawing and collecting which have been translated into 16 different languages.

He continued to paint throughout his life