Mike originally came from Salford near Manchester where, for a while as a child, he was taught by the internationally acclaimed portrait artist Harold Riley. He then spent some time as an art student in Leicester & London, but thought he wasn't going to make a living at that. So he did a degree in psychology, and then worked as a prison psychologist, before moving into commerce and becoming a business psychologist. All along the way he's been pursuing art.   Mike says "As you paint a portrait empathy develops as you observe the subject closely. As you notice the subtle changes of line and colour you sense an intimacy with the subject whilst still maintaining your own seperateness and objectivity". He is still a business psychologist, but freelance now, living on the edge of the Cotswolds and spending more time in his studio.   He likes to spend time with the person, make some preliminary drawings and then finish the portrait in his studio working from the drawings and photographs he's taken. This means he can complete a portrait quite quickly, usually within two to three weeks. His aim is to produce a portrait with the feeling of that person, and not just a face that looks like them.