I have recently retired, after working as a Chartered Surveyor for almost 25 years and as a therapist for 15 years. I met my wife Liz in in 1974 and we married in Kenya in 1976. We both worked with Voluntary Service Overseas and completed the circle, on retirement, by volunteering again, from 2010 to 2012 in Gulu, Northern Uganda, working in health and mental health. I worked again in Gulu from September 2013 to July 2014. I have just returned from working in Aotearoa New Zealand for a year, from April 2015 to April 2016, at the Friends Centre, Auckland.

I have two children and five grandchildren and live in Skipton, North Yorkshire. They have inspired me to write adventure stories for children and I have published five books about the ‘Birthday Bunch’ to date. My paintings feature in these books.

Creativity has always been a vital part of me. It is the antidote to the logical, organised, responsible and security seeking me that has ensured full employment for 40 years. Whether making personal birthday and Christmas cards or educational jigsaw puzzles, art has always flowed through my life. I only started painting seriously in 2006 and brought sixty paintings from Uganda, all done at weekends, to counter the demands and frustrations of working in mental health in a former conflict zone. They chronicle my experience there.

Everything that is worth knowing about me is expressed in my artwork. Subject, style and vibrant colour convey elements of my personality, spirituality and my sense of self. The Galleries are entitled Flora and Fauna, Travel and Adventure, Spirit and Imagination, Home and Place and finally the Birthday Bunch. The paintings are a vehicle for expressing feelings and experience and seek to link to your creativity, passion and senses.

These paintings are not a quest for recognition or financial gain. All are originals and may at times be gifted. Others are not for sale. The majority are priced to respect these difficult times. They are there to be owned not to gather dust. All material is copyrighted in the name of Michael Watson from 2006.

If you would like to own any of the paintings, or have any comments or queries, email me on birthdaybunch.michael.watson@gmail.com or telephone me on 01756 798578/07970 029721. The Birthday Bunch books are ‘Theo and the Baby Bunch’ (ages 2-5), ‘Search, Secrets, and Spies’ (ages 3-6), ‘Snow, Slides, and Scares’ (ages 5-8), ‘Treasure, Trash, and Turtles’ (ages 7-10) and ‘Fin and Noola in Between’ (ages 9-12). The set of five Birthday Bunch books are a gift to anyone who buys a painting valued £50 or more and will be sent post free. Full details of the five books can be found on http://sbpra.com/MichaelWatson