Current:

I live in the South of France with my Swedish wife Hanna and our two small boys Anthony (7) and Elton (6). We're very lucky to have a house at the top of a beautiful old stone-built village of Saint Jeannet with a fantastic panoramic  view down to the sea from Cap Ferrat (on the other side of Nice) right across to Cap d'Antibes. We've been here about 6 years now.

Hanna designs clothes, bags,wallpaper (HannaWaite.com) and runs the painting courses with me. I make painting tutorials, teach and paint (for exhibition and commissions).

Maison des Arts

We started the art school together in 2000 and called it Maison des Arts. It then became Maison des Arts France and now Mitch Waite Painting Holidays. We've had well over 1500 course participants many of whom return year after year.

Early Career

I started painting professionally when I was 28 in 1985. I've had no formal training but have painted for as long as I can remember. At the time I was living in Newark, England. I then moved and set up my studio in Buckinghamshire where and stayed for 2 or 3 years mainly painting private commissions before moving to Africa. 

Kenya

Kenya was a very special experience. I went there in 1990 on a one-way ticket searching for adventure, I had a bag of paints, a bag of clothes and my guitar. Everything seem to work for me, I sold my first painting before I'd finished it a few days after arriving (standing on the shores of Lake Naivasha) and never looked back. I stayed there 5 years mainly painting portraits, street scenes, landscapes and murals. I left in 1995 and went to live in the South of France.