Otis grew up in Newlyn, the fishing village that gave its name to one of Britain's most significant artist colonies, and his work is in conscious dialogue with that heritage. He studied at Falmouth College of Arts and has painted in Cornwall ever since. He works large, often three metres wide, using broad brushes and palette knives to describe the constant motion of water and sky. His colour is fresh and direct, with none of the muddiness that can afflict ambitious plein air work. Otis exhibits in London, at the St Ives Society of Artists, and his work is in the permanent collection of the Penlee House Gallery in Penzance.