Colin Self b. 1941

In 1961 he entered the Slade School of Fine Arts in London. In 1962 and 1965 Self travelled to the USA and Canada which heightened his consciousness of Cold War politics. Events such as the Cuban Missile Crisis and CND marches led him to create highly-innovative works. He also produced works featuring apparently harmless motifs from contemporary life and consumer society which at times conveys an unexpected atmosphere of violence and sexual threat. His intention was to produce a detailed record of his society which, in the event of its destruction, would convey its essential qualities to anyone coming across his work in the future.Deeply suspicious of the commercial art world, in 1965 Self returned permanently to Norwich. Both his subject matter and his repertoire of techniques continued to expand, taking in atmospheric Norfolk landscapes, still-lifes and quirky observations of human behaviour.