"I PAINT every day nearly - I'm just painting some trees now. I just sit here and paint."

This is the studio of 93-year-old painter Raymond Hibble as he shares an insight on his life and career in art.

Mr Hibble, who grew up in Eccleshill and Horton Bank Top, fell in love with painting by accident after his dislike for a teacher grew so much that he signed up to the only class without her: painting and decorating.

Based at the city's college of art in 1940, he quit his Architectural Draughtsman course and instead picked up paints.

His tutor was watercolourist Arthur Sanderson and, under his wing, the 16-year-old lad went on to become an art teacher at Keighley College, Saltaire College and Bradford College.

Leeds Art Gallery and Cartwright Hall have bought his work and, following a 30 year long break from the hobby, he returned to the canvas 12 years ago and hasn't stopped since.

Mr Hibble told the Telegraph & Argus: "It's just creating something. I might be doing one in the studio and I suddenly go into the lounge and the paint I've got on my palette I dab onto the one in my lounge."

But for one of Bradford's most prolific painters, he's perhaps one of the most hidden members of the art community, especially as the world slowly goes digital.

It's been an interesting life so far for Mr Hibble - describing himself as the first person to own a crocodile in Bradford after mistakenly believing he was ordering a tin of its meat, the first person to drive a Vincent HRD motorcycle and the placeholder of possibly one of the shortest careers in the Merchant Navy in history.

He recalled: "I was brought up with a bolshy, stroppy sort of way and I thought I was important.

"My Merchant Navy experience was in Liverpool. It was the early hours of the morning and my Captain was drunk and he said 'Name!' and I said, 'Hibble'. He said 'Hibble, Sir!' and I said 'No, just Hibble' and he said 'Get off my ship!'.

"I came home and didn't unpack my baggage but nobody ever came for me."

With his family living in Guernsey and Oxford, painting has remained his outlet during lockdown with five pieces of work currently on-the-go.

Following a notice about Kayle McCoy's United Art project in the T&A, Mr Hibble's son arranged for canvases to be delivered.

Designed to bring people together and boost mental wellbeing, the painter turned to his past and his work is expected to be exhibited at Cartwright Hall alongside other artists next year.

He was the oldest person to take part in the project.

Pictured above on a blue canvas, it's an ode to his wife, June, who died 13 months ago.

"It's my left hand and my wife had dementia for the last 10 years of her life," Mr Hibble said.

"Every morning she used to stroke my hand and say 'How lovely'.

"I'm looking forward to seeing this (at the museum)."