Jeff Bates started painting on semi-retirement in 2003. He moved to Armidale NSW for family reasons in 2003 and formed tje Northern Inland Art Society, a group of artists who met every week to work together as well as organising workshops featuring artsts such as David Taylor, Max Wilks, Herman Pekel and Ron Hindmarsh.. He attended Camp Creative at Bellingen on a number of occasions as well as the Grafton art workshop with David Taylor.
He returned to Melbourne in 2012 and joined the Heidelberg Art Society which he visits most Saturdays.
His preference is for landscapes in watercolour or pastel | 
