Born and brought up in a Welsh mining town in the Rhymney Valley, his name derives from Greek ancestry. he graduating from Cardiff with a BA Honours Degree in Fine Art.
The human figure is Al’s main source of inspiration. His paintings are composed usually of a single figure and, although stripped of obvious narrative. His work has an enduring and haunting quality and pose many questions. He is as interested in the way the paint is applied and the structure of the paintings as he is in the subject matter.
He says, ‘I have always been interested in the classical beauty of Renaissance painting, and this alongside my fascination with the human form has led my work to develop to where it is now. I regard myself as a figurative painter but not a realist painter. The realism that I am interested in is the emotional connection made when making or looking at a painting. My work has been described as being able to conjure a feeling of spirituality and although I am not a religious person, I do believe there is an element of this in the work. I use a restricted number of models to try and achieve my aim, which is to create something that is beautiful as well as interesting, contemporary as well as classical; something timeless.’
His work in collections throughout the world.