Painter and teacher, born in Dundee, Angus, where he studied at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, and later taught part-time, also being a visiting lecturer at Edinburgh College of Art. He obtained a first-class honours degree in fine art, 1984, and had a highly commended postgraduate year, 1985. He was accepted for the Stirling Smith Biennale before graduation. Soon after, he participated in the Students’ RSA exhibition and the ICA show New Contemporaries. Upon graduation Summerton, fast building a reputation as a creator of striking images with a theme of concern about pollution, participated in Compass Gallery, Glasgow, New Generation show. In 1986 he had a solo exhibition at Compass, other one-man exhibitions including MacRobert Arts Centre in Stirling and Seagate Gallery, Dundee.