Grenville Cottingham was born in 1943. He studied at Exeter College of Art from 1960-63 and at Liverpool College of Art from 1963-64. He was subsequently employed as the first sea-going artist/tutor to the Seafarers Education Service from 1966-68, travelling around 150,000 miles on 19 different ships. His years at sea gave him a unique opportunity to study the sea in all its moods and the relationship with ships which developed has become the main preoccupation of his work. He paints a wide range of marine subjects in oils, watercolours and acrylics. He has had many one-man shows throughout the UK and also Europe including Dublin 1974, Munich 1975 and Berlin in 1980. Grenville is a member of the Royal Society of Marine Artists and the Royal Society of British Artists. His work forms part of public and private collections worldwide including Munich University, Shell Petroleum, Esso, Air Ministry and Devon County Council.