Born in South Wales in 1946, Courtney Davis spent much of his early years in London. He started his employment (after a short stint in a grocery store) as an apprentice gold engraver and jewellery designer, using diamond cutting tools to engrave designs on wedding rings. Courtneys' natural talent for the work meant he found his designs were much in demand, and he could have spent much of his life in the job, were it not for an unusual turn of events during a period in hospital, and the death of his father soon afterwards, which caused him to re-evaluate what he was doing and what he really wanted from life. He left his job and joined a Buddhist temple in London.

Courtney Davis began drawing in his spare time, and to supplement his income, he painted old furniture with Art Nouveau and Pre-Raphaelite designs, and sold them at craft fairs and a gallery in Kings Road, Chelsea, London. He found that people were prepared to pay for his designs, and created a range of cards and prints, while continuing to sell his work at craft fairs for a further six or seven years.

In 1984 he was working as a screen printer and sign writer in Reading, Berkshire. He drew a series of black and white pictures which would become his first book, "Merlin the Immortal", which he published and marketed himself. The book became very successful, and, with one book published, he was able to approach and be accepted by the book publishers Cassell, with whom he produced "The Celtic Art Source Book". He has sinced created several Celtic art source books aimed at artists and craftspeople. Courtney has also recreated and published 'lost' images from early Christian manuscripts, many of which were stolen by the Vikings, stripped of their gold and jewels, and thrown away.

Courtney Davis is a self-taught artist, painting in gouache and ink. Many of his paintings can be found in some of the 36 or more books which feature his artwork. He lives in Bridport, Dorset, England with his wife Dimity, and two children, Blaine and Bridie.

His work has been exhibited widely in Western Europe, and in Chicago for the first time in 1995. He exhibits regularly in America, and was a guest of honour at the Tokyo Celtic Festival in 1998.

Courtney Davis's website can be found at www.celtic-art.com.