Les was born in Libya, North Africa in 1954. One of his earliest memories is of watching the sharp-raked bows of the Arab Dhows cutting through the Mediterranean swell, their great triangular sails creaking in the hot winds coming off the Sahara.

Despite his early love for sailing ships, a career in the Royal Air Force beckoned and he joined the colours in 1970. His military service took him as far afield as Hong Kong and the Falkland Islands. As a member of the Task Force in 1982 Les saw some fantastic sights, icebergs blown along by the wind, leaving a wake behind them, massive waves breaking higher than the bridge of his ship. 'It was,' he says, 'the most terrifying, yet the most amazing and humbling sight I have ever seen!'

After leaving in 1984 Les took up his brushes again and went back to his first love, his ships. With more time available, he studied Art and Design at the University of Ulster, gaining his Honours degree in 1991.

A husband, father and grandfather, Les now devotes his time to studying, researching and painting ships and maritime events from around the world.