Brian Selman

While my family on my father’s side originate from the wonderful Wiltshire village of Lacock, I was born in a small cabin by the side of the Lynher river in Cornwall, the fifth of five children. The son of a Bermudian mother and an English naval engineer, we moved regularly as we grew up. I went to a boarding school in Suffolk and while not my happiest experience, I had a sound education and learned a bit more besides!

After school, I had no burning ambition to be a train driver or rocket surgeon so eventually drifted into medical science, working in a number of London teaching hospitals. Unwittingly this set the stage for my working career.

I married at what would now be considered a young age and by my 27th birthday was the proud father of two delightful daughters. They have been a source of pride and joy to me ever since. I followed the example of two of my sisters and left England. In my case for New Zealand, where I marvelled as my daughters grew to adulthood. Mountain and sea, forest and farm formed part of a wonderful environment to allow young minds and bodies to expand and prosper.

For me, my venture into medical science grew into a commercial involvement. The great pleasure in this was being paid to travel to many different places in the world to ply my trade. Australia being close was a frequent destination, but I was lucky enough to have many visits to North America and Japan, and happily for me to Europe where I could also spend time with my parents and my brother.

Working with so many different people and experiencing such a diversity of cultures taught me the wonders of the world and endowed me with a rich store of experiences.

In a kind of slow progression, I moved to Australia and had a happy existence there, enjoying the similarities and differences, the sights and tastes of a big island. Such contrasts in geography and the huge scale of the skies in the outback. And then a return to New Zealand, to a dream role which sadly withered and died. But as that door closed another opened and I found myself in Sweden! Another insightful education and a dose of intense travel, learning more about the cultures of Europe and deepening my knowledge of Japan.

And then, full circle; back to England to be united with my younger daughter and briefly with my brother. So here I now sit in London, re-immersed in her complex hues and textures.

On my life journey I have had my losses. Each one has been successively harder and though physically absent, all those I have loved are present in me. Their support persists and sustains me.

Since I was a teenager I have written poetry and had a camera to hand. At school I tried writing fiction and enjoyed painting, though I was slow at it. In neither of these pursuits was I encouraged by my teachers! Nevertheless, a good distance down the track I have returned to fiction and painting, having added wood carving along the way. The result of these three persistent strands are what you see in this website. I hope that you enjoy some of the things I offer.