Vernon describes his work thus;

"Before completing a HND in Design/Wildlife Illustration at CCTA (Carmarthen College of Technology and Art) starting in 1992, my strength was definitely Drawing and I loved detailed work.

Following my HND in 1994 I worked in a variety of art jobs including mural art, and for the next period of years I was working in a more Illustrative way.

For the next period from 1994 after my HND I worked in a variety of art subjects (including mural art) but at the core it remained Illustrative.

In 2003 I had a fortunate encounter one day with a commercial artist who offered to tutor me in the art of painting J Class Yachts, and for 2 years I was under his guidance learning how to paint in Oils also which was never taught at both Art Colleges I went to, so it was a huge challenge.

I had struggled with the sea however more than anything else in this subject, and I formed a plan in 2005 that I would focus solely on the sea and learn how to paint it. It was the open sea that I was interested in at first as this was part of the composition with the Yachts. Over time I started to become interested in the shores and waves of course opening up the field for me.

Experimenting with the sea and different ways to approach it and exploring other techniques allowed me to break away from the “tight” style that I was working with.

In 2019 I began the process of learning how to paint “alla prima” so that I could paint outdoors in the main but had been curious about it for a little while. I was becoming interested in landscape work too as a subject which can be part of seascape work of course so made sense.

Alongside my seascape and landscape work I am still active in painting other subjects with oils, acrylics and mixed media pieces, sometimes illustrative works. I enjoy the variety, and I feel that it’s good to keep my hand in.

I would never have dreamed I would become a seascape artist, it would not have come into my mind ever I think. I had no idea that I would become a fine artist. This is the beauty of life. Now that I am in this area of art it is giving me so much enjoyment. When I am next to a wild sea for example, watching rocks being battered by big waves while a strong wind is blowing around me, I feel whole. I can’t think of anything better to do than to stand in strong winds with my camera while waves hammer a rock face or smash into the shore or crash out at sea, and I am there to capture what I can, ready for anything. Witnessing such beauty and power and to be in a position to capture it and transform that into paintings that others can enjoy is a gift that I am grateful for.