Andy Q was born and raised in Ripon in the North of Yorkshire where he lived in the countryside with his Mum, Sister and two brothers. Within Andy’s teenage years He moved to Oxford where He lived there  for 11 years, and then moving to Harrogate and  now is currently living in York where he describes he’s at his happiest.   

Andy’s main inspiration in life was his Grandfather who was a keen gardener. ‘’I always looked up to my grandfather, he’s my main inspiration for painting sunflowers’’ He describes. ‘’The main reason of painting sunflowers and other flowers  (Iris, roses and blue moon which was something Andy’s grandfather used to grow)  was the beautiful vibrant colours in these flowers which I fell in love with.’’ ‘ The Sunflowers colours are like life springing from death, people were growing sunflowers after the war , it was a symbol of a new beginning almost.’’

Andy’s other main inspiration was Vincent Van Gogh.’’ I love the natural feel and colours to his paintings’’ Andy also describes that he’s progressed into his own style of painting since first studying Van Gogh’s paintings.

‘I have always been a keen painter/sketcher since my teenage ages, where I used to sit and doodle at the back of class, and to this day I still always find myself doodling on anything. I’ve spent the last 6 years painting sunflowers and 20 years in painting with oils.