Born in 1955, Nicholas Hely Hutchinson studied at St Martin’s School of Art. Since his first exhibition in 1984 he has exhibited consistently in London, Dublin and Hong Kong, and his work is now in many private and corporate collections. ‘I wake up most mornings thinking about painting. Usually it is something that I have seen the day before . . . A long straight sunlit road, lined with telegraph poles . . . A sparrow hawk flips over the hedge . . . These are possible elements for a picture. The seasons and the constantly changing moods of the countryside are my inspiration. A bird in a cold winter sky . . . This is what makes me want to paint . . . Moments of heart-breaking beauty, moments that take your breath away.’