SWINDON ART FEATURE: KEN White formed one third of arguably the greatest triumvirate of artistic talent to emerge from Swindon in the 1960s.

The other two-thirds were Raymond later Gilbert O'Sullivan and Rick Davies, who was to find fame as a member of Supertramp. All attended art college in Swindon and later shared digs in London when Carnaby Street and the Kings Road were the cultural centres of the world.

The fates of the three diverged, with Ken, now 60, returning to Swindon to fulfil his destiny.

That destiny was not reached before he had served four years in the Railway Works, heating rivets.

That experience was to prove an inspiration. Many of his paintings deal with hard-working people and their day-to-day lives.

He said: "Painting was always the only thing for me it was the only thing I could do."

Whether that is true or not, in the 1970s his reputation began to spread.

Exhibition followed exhibition and Ken's work, particularly his murals, led to commissions throughout the country.

Eventually, he came to the attention of Virgin boss Richard Branson, who remains a patron. His murals decorate Virgin stores all over the world, and the Scarlet Lady emblem, which adorns all Virgin aircraft, is Ken's.

Most recently, he designed the cover for an American-only retrospective box set issued by his old friend Gilbert O'Sullivan.

He is currently working on street murals in Invergordon, Scotland.