Giles was born in 1947 in Gravesend, Kent, but educated and 'artschooled' in Cheltenham. "When I was young I remember Cheltenham as very Edwardian in style, it made a very strong impression on me; later I made several paintings of the town's cafes and restaurants." After graduating in Cheltenham, Giles moved to London to spend a post graduate year at Goldsmith's college studying teaching. There followed a spell of 15 years teaching Art & Design at a large comprehensive school in S. London. 'I was very lucky to join a strong team in an excellent Art Department.  Most of us were part-time and used any spare time for painting.  It was great to work with other artists and exhibit together.' In 1987 he started working with Freeform Art Works - a company then making decorative hoardings for property companies, now producing more permanent public art works. 'It's always good fun working with Freeform, as the commissions are so different, you learn new skills all the time, and like teaching, I'm working with other artists. From 1976 onwards, he regularly exhibited with galleries in Belgium but his work has rarely been shown in U.K.'