Born in Preston, Norman studied at Newcastle University. Early career awards, such as the de Laszlo Award at the Royal Society of Portrait Painters and Artist and Illustrators Magazine’s Artist of the Year established his reputation, firstly as a portrait painter and then gallery artist. In 2008 he was awarded a scholarship for Postgraduate study at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art. He has been a regular exhibitor at the New English Art Club and held countless solo shows commercially. He has exhibited at the BP Portrait Award and the Ruth Borchard Self Portrait Prize. He is the author of a popular book on Oil Painting technique and a trustee of the Manchester Academy of Fine Art.