HOWARD MILTON

Howard Milton tells the tale of his first life drawing lesson at Hammersmith College of Art, under the influential eye of Ruskin Spear. Spotting Milton shyly peering at the model from the back of room, he led him gently to the front, whispering “you can’t draw what you can’t see”.

Those first lessons taught him to find the tone, focus and geometry of whatever was in front of him. Observational tips that he took and honed in Graphic Design at the London College of Printing.  Milton came to international creative prominence during the 1980s UK design boom, building the brand reputations for world’s leading companies. The book ‘Alas, Smith & Milton’ which captures the work and history of his company, was published in 2005.

In recent years he and partner Jay Smith were recognised for a lifetime’s contribution to British design, in the Design Council’s Prince Philip
award for outstanding creativity. But he has never stopped painting (or looking).  He returned to the easel full time, when he moved to Cornwall, also teaching at Falmouth University of Arts. His broad brushstrokes reach from the structure of still life, to the ever-changing
atmosphere of urban and marine scenes. Yet his favourite commission subjects, the horse and hound, never stray far from his gaze.

Milton was elected a member of the prestigious St Ives Society of Artists in 2020. He is currently exhibiting across the country at galleries in Cornwall, Gloucestershire and London.