Malcolm Root was born in Colchester and has lived in North Essex ever since. He left school at sixteen and trained as a printing apprentice, with a view to a career in design and typography.

In 1982, Malcolm left the printing trade and set up in business as a full-time artist. His works were featured at a number of small exhibitions and it wasn't long before commissions started coming in on a regular basis. In 1983, Malcolm was elected to full membership of the guild of Railway Artists and some of his paintings were published in books and magazines. Following this, three books devoted to the paintings of Malcolm Root were published; one on twentieth century transport and two on railways, the most recent being Malcolm Root's Railway Paintings.

Malcolm has always been interested in the period when public transport was at its peak, when trains and buses were used by the majority and only a few fortunate could affort to own a car. In those days, every decent-sized town and many villages were connected by branch lines that covered the British Isles, making travel a real adventure.

Malcolm's hobbies are football, cycling and local history. At present, he is busy painting for calendars, collector's plates and of course, jigsaw puzzles.