He was born in the port of Spain, Trinidad in 1923. He started to paint from the age of five but did not start painting seriously until his teens. He was one of the earliest members of the Trinidad art society. He is considered one of the top painters from the Caribbean. His work is in many collections around the world. Particularly recognizable for his paintings of people of color, reflecting his appreciation of Caribbean people and culture, he often used dancers as models, his "favorite" being of his wife sheila.