Philippe Aird was born on July 14th 1961. As a teenager, he was taught by the acclaimed Salford artist, L.S. Lowry. Recognising his talent, Lowry encouraged him to enrol at Salford's College of Art. He was accepted aged 16.

Inventiveness and unstoppable creativity won Philippe a scholarship to Chelsea College of Art and Design. He was able to experiment with a number of different media, winning the Timeout sponsored International Video Festival in 1982.

Philippe appeared in BBC2's Forty Minutes programme where they featured his live performance art, involving painting in the nude, a new and daring concept 25 years ago.

Philippe worked as a fine art lecturer at Salford University. In 2002 he opened The Phoenix Gallery where he now paints fulltime. The gallery is one mile outside Manchester City centre.

Philippe continually follows his muse, experimenting with new materials and new forms of expression. His down to earth attitude has won him many critical admirers and friends.