paul karslake was born in essex, 1958, into an artistic family, with a mother who made dolls and a father who made architectural models. karslake grew up surrounded by creativity, going on to study at the seevic college and southend college of art and technology. after working with his father as a model maker, karslake travelled to the USA where he worked for disney, la art studios and cbs television. karslake built a reputation in the fine art world, with support from well-known figures such as derek johns of sotheby’s and sir peter scott. In the 1980s, he started his own company to manage his art as a business, and became a fellow of the royal society of arts in 1990. a number of high-profile commissions in the 1990s brought a great deal of attention to karslake’s artwork. by the early 2000s, he had opened his own studio and gallery, continuing to grow in success and acclaim. karslake passed away in march of 2020, after a battle with coronavirus.