Roger Andrews

In his own words...
During the late 1950s, Rowney organised a painting competition for all the schools in the Eastleigh area. As painting was the only thing I was good at when I was at school, I was encouraged to enter. Much to my surprise, my painting of two trains passing in a cutting won the age group prize of an oil painting set. It was suggested that I should take up commercial art when I left school which would mean going on to art college for three years.
Sadly, circumstances at home made this impossible. Coming from a railway family, I decided to go onto the footplate as a locomotive fireman, giving up art altogether – I didn’t touch a pencil or paintbrush for another thirty years!
When I later wrote of my time on the footplate I had very few photographs so decided to paint my memories. I enjoyed it so much I wondered why I had ever given it up in the first place. I am entirely self taught and the only advice I ever had was from the art master at school who said “Paint what you see”.