Les Spence was born in Cheshire in 1934 and moved in early childhood to Yorkshire. In 1965 at the age of 31, he gave up his job to devote his time to painting. He had trained and practised as a lettering artist, gilder and interior designer whilst in his spare time developing the painting style which, as it matured, has made the craftsman also an artist. In 1971 Les and his family moved to their present home in Cornwall and over the years his reputation as a leading artist has continually flourished. His many exhibitions include The Royal Society of Marine Artists, The Royal Society of British Artists, etc, etc; he has had one-man shows throughout Britain; his commissions include The Royal Norwegian Navy, The Royal Marines, The Readers Digest and Westward Television. Reproductions of his work have been published by six UK publishers and marketed worldwide in 53 countries