Ex teacher Colin Bellwood began selling paintings in Europe and North America after successfully exhibiting on no fewer than eight occasions at the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition between 1980 and 2002 - with two pictures being selected and hung on two separate occasions.

There have been three one man exhibitions: two in London's Coningsby Gallery in 2003 and 2007 and one at the Dundas Street Gallery in Edinburgh in 2005. His paintings are described on the Londonart web site as "an understated but powerful working of the surface texture" - "using oil paint, oil pastel and collage, traditional motifs are given a completely new and beautiful dimension."

Colin Bellwood's paintings have been bought for private collections as far apart as The Hague, Dallas, Texas, Edinburgh and London.

He divides his time now between his native Yorkshire and his studio in Seville, Spain.