, Michael Aubrey was born in 1940 and educated in York, London and Cambridge. He practised as a barrister and journalist in London before returning to Cambridge to teach Law and, simultaneously, read English. After teaching in UK, India and Australia, he taught English at Oundle for 25 years before retiring in 1995 in order to paint full time.

As a watercolourist his work is widely collected. He has had thirty solo exhibitions in London, Paris and other capital cities, some organised by the British Council. He is also a keen musician, playing the bassoon in orchestras and chamber ensembles.

He has led an unconventional life of diverse, often bizarre experiences. These include working his way round America in the 1960s, famine relief work in Bihar, exploration in Papua New Guinea and adventures in pre-revolutionary Persia and Burma.,