Painter and teacher, born in Nakuru, Kenya, whose output included landscape work with strong abstraction. He studied foundation then gained a first-class degree in fine art from Cardiff Faculty of Art and Design, 1981–5, then did postgraduate painting at Slade School of Fine Art, 1985–7. Awards and prizes included Welsh Arts Council travel scholarships, 1989 and 1992; Gold Medals in Fine Art, National Eisteddfod of Wales, Llanelwedd, 1993, and Bro Ogwr, 1998; and The Friedrich Könekamp Award for Painting, 1997. In 1991, Burns was artist-in-residence, Llanfrechfa Grange Mental Health Unit, Cwmbran, he held several part-time lectureships and was full-time lecturer on the foundation course at Glamorgan Centre of Art and Design Technology from 1994.