Roy Prentice was born in 1945, in London, where he studied fine art and education. He is a graduate of the University of London, where he also gained an MA and he is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. After a long career as an art and design educator he gave up his academic post as Head of Art, Design and Museology at the Institute of Education, University of London in order to spend more time painting in Greece.
Currently he is an honorary senior lecturer at University College London, Institute of Education.
He divides his time between London and Crete.