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Ken Hayes

Born in Leeds in 1962, Ken Hayes grew up in Knottingley, West Yorkshire, and settled with his family in the Rhymney Valley, South Wales, 25 years ago. At 23, he returned to school, completing a year in art and design at Wakefield College, after which he studied cartoon animation at the Newport Film School, where he earned a diploma.

“For 19 magical years, I enjoyed a successful career working on films and series for the BBC, ITV, CH4, and S4C. I was part of the team that turned Prince Charles' story, 'The Old Man of Lochnagar', into a half-hour special. I later got to shake his hand and drink his whisky.

In 2009, I left the industry to follow my lifelong passion for watercolour painting. My simple and honest approach is to create a faithful but distilled version of the scene in front of me done with (as much as possible) first-time applications of paint. I use very few materials, two synthetic brushes - no.'s 4 and 14 - plus a sable wash brush, Bockingford paper, and just five colours. I occasionally use white gouache for highlights”.

Ken’s work can be found in collections including The Foreign Office, Lambeth Palace, British Embassy in Latvia, The Royal Ballet School and Guildhall School of Music & Drama.