BACKGROUND

Anthony was born on the 30^th of March 1959 in South Wales - Great Britain, 106 years after Vincent Van Gogh (in 1853). By the way, Anthony has lost part of his left ear, but not by his own hand.

Born with the natural ability to draw, he is able to reproduce on paper what he sees in his mind. In addition, his photographic memory allows him to visually capture images that he later transforms into paintings and drawings.

EARLY DAYS

His natural ability was forsaken for the need to make a so-called "real living" with a proper job, which led him to follow a career in the British Royal Air Force (RAF) as a communications engineer. In his late twenties, he developed the urge to pick up pencil and paper again and he started drawing cartoons and caricatures, posters and cards for friends and colleagues.

This "fun" drawing turned into a real desire to further Anthony's skills. Whilst serving in Denmark in 1988, he went to study with a Danish book illustrator who taught him how to manipulate the medium of watercolour. His first painting is of a fisherman in Ascension Island entitled "Catch of the Day".

WATERCOLOURS

Anthony was posted to Norway where he was inspired by the landscape and light. He had his first exhibition in 1990 with over 55 paintings. He went home with only 15. During his 2 years in Norway, Anthony produced over 120 works, which were sold to locals as well as the international expatriate community. Many of his works are now hanging in homes worldwide from Peru to Northern Norway.

He left the RAF in 1991 and moved to Grenoble, France. There he continued to paint and used the French countryside with its ruins and abandoned farms as his inspiration. His first exhibition was in St. Etienne de St. Geoirs in 1992. At the exhibition, he won the Prix de Credit Agricole Bank for his landscape paintings.

OFF THE RAILS

Anthony went through a difficult period in his private life, which resulted in some very experimental and deeply emotional works.

BACK ON THE RAILS

From Grenoble, Anthony was headhunted by a Swiss firm who admired his professional skills as a telecomms engineer. The move to Geneva found him amongst the beautiful snowy landscapes of Switzerland, which inspired him to produce winter landscapes. The main feature of these paintings is his ability to play with colours and light; the skies change depending on the light reflecting on the painting.

MORE STUDY

Anthony studied with the renowned American watercolourist Tony Couch in Florida in 2001. As a result, he completely perfected the art of watercolour. His landscapes during this time include snowy hills, mountain scenery, and French provincial scenes. Characteristic of these paintings is the fluidity and lightness, created through the mixture of hard and soft edges and other techniques.

SOMETHING NEW

After many years in Switzerland and producing watercolour landscapes, Anthony felt the urge to experiment with a different medium. He turned to acrylics and started to create a completely different style of paintings whilst being true to his ability to play with light. His works include landscapes, but also objects, animals and slightly abstract images.

Today, Anthony works mainly with acrylics as they allow him to work with bright bold colours and create effects with light using newly invented metal acrylics.

LIVING THE FRENCH DREAM

Now resident in France and living in Castillon du Gard, Anthony like Van Gogh, is inspired by the southern French scenery.

Anthony's Family name has changed several times. Born Whitehead his mother remarried to a Mr. Smith and two others eventually. However on the 1^st of September 2001 the gallant Welshman took the name of his new bride...mostly because she did not want to be called Mrs Smith (A very common name in Great Britain) …Therefore he is now Anthony Robert Smith-Chaigneau.

He continues to combine a professional career in Digital Television and a passion for painting, which he hopes will one day be his only occupation (Aside from his beautiful wife and children of course!)

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