Austin Ruddy's family moved away from this area when he was a child, although he continued to return during holiday times, particularly at Christmas and Harvest. Those childhood and teenage years left indelible memories of the North East.

Austin went to Art School at the age of 13, barely out of short trousers, because all he ever wanted to be was an artist. He studied painting, drawing and printmaking under Charles Bartlett PRWS, Ken Howard RA, Fred Cuming RA, Peter Blake RA and had early work exhibited at Young Contemporaries, the National Museum of Wales, City Art Gallery Cheltenham, Herbert Art Gallery Coventry and Sheffield and Southampton City Art Galleries.

As well as painting, Austin designed sets for television, film and theatre and was responsible for many major television productions in the 60's, 70's and 80's such as Colditz, Secret Army, Miss marple, Steptoe and Son, Dr Who and many one-off plays (including Alan Bennett) and was nominated for a Royal Television Society Award for the film "Stanley" which was about the artist Sir Stanley Spencer.

Recent exhibitions include: Royal Watercolour Society, Royal Institute of Watercolour Painters, John Laing at Dean Clough Halifax, Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and many more.

Austin now lives back in "God's own country" and works full time as a painter and printmaker of portraits, landscapes, nudes, still lives and buildings.

Newspaper quotes include:
"Considerable maturity of style, inventive use of colour, intelligent working out of composition."
"Quiet and well mannered images designed to grow on one and live with."
"A very real appreciation of the Yorkshire countryside by a sensitive artist" Charles Bartlett PRWS