Famous for his naïve paintings and books on cats Martin Leman was born in London in 1934, the son of a Covent Garden fruit porter. Martin Leman studied at Worthing School of Art and later at London’s Central School of Art. He later worked as a designer, illustrator and typographer in advertising and publishing for several years. In the early 60’s Martin Leman turned to painting as his main occupation. A turning point in his career was a painting of a small tabby cat situated in a decorative interior. It sold immediately and so begun his long association with cats. Although still living in London, Martin has a special affinity with Cornwall and in particular St Ives, which forms the background to some of his most notable cat paintings. Martin’s design for a signed limited edition campaign poster played a valuable part in fund raising for The Tate St Ives.  He is also well known for his often humorous paintings of the female form and American folk art styled paintings. Martin Leman has exhibited internationally, and is a regular exhibitor at London’s Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. He was elected a member of The Royal Society of British Artists in 2007.  His lifelong love of cats has become widely appreciated through reproductions in over twenty books devoted to his art. His paintings now form part of private collections throughout the world. He has also painted many commissioned portraits of much loved cats which now hang in homes in the UK, America, Europe, Japan & Australia. Other favourite subjects include female nudes and still lifes and more recently landscapes and gardens.