Ian Sidaway was born in 1951 into a mining and clay-working community near Tamworth in Staffordshire. After completing a foundation course at Nuneaton School of Art and a graphic design course at Twickenham College of Technology, Ian worked for a brief period as a designer before concentrating more fully on painting in the early 1970s. He exhibited widely at Federation of British Artists open exhibitions, the Royal Academy Summer exhibition, at Agnews Gallery and various other galleries in London, Brighton and America. Through the 1980s, Ian concentrated on commissioned portraits, and in the 1990s, he worked on book illustrations on various subjects ranging from travel, food and gardening. He began to write and produce instructional art books and has written 32 titles to date. Ian is also a regular contributor to practical art magazines and has led painting courses in Italy. In 2008, he made the conscious decision to work less on publishing and decided to concentrate on producing works for exhibition. In his later works, he has been creating pictures on the landscape of Britain and abroad. His works are held in private collections all over the world. In 2010, he was elected as a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours. Of his working technique, Ian says: "I work in a range of materials, but constantly return to watercolour. I use traditional transparent watercolour techniques, with paint being applied using a wide range of tools other than brushes. Drawings and paintings are made on location together with photographs and written notes. Paintings are completed in the studio. Strong composition, design and solid draughtsmanship together with the simple pleasure of exploiting and using the materials are my constant concerns. My intentions are not to create a photographic representation but a synthesis of things seen, something that hints at a 'sense of place'." Ian has two watercolours on display in the exhibition, Carreg Samson and Pentre Ifan. The exhibition The RI in Wales/Yr RI yng Nghymru continues at Tenby Museum and Art Gallery until August 17.