Bob and Roberta Smith OBE RA is an artist, political campaigner, musician and Associate Professor at London Metropolitan University. His previous books include Bob and Roberta Smith: I Should Be in Charge and Make Your Own Damn Art.

Bob and Roberta Smith's parents were artists. Each year, they submitted work to the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and waited nervously to see if they'd be accepted. Triumph or disaster accompanied the result. Then, Bob and Roberta's mother, the painter Deidre Borlase, discovered that she was more likely to be accepted if she disguised her gender, signing her paintings 'D. Borlase'...

Accompanying an installation in the RA's new McAulay Gallery this Autumn, The Secret to a Good Life is a warm and witty family story that explores the role of women artists, the sexism of the art world and the benefits of drawing every day. In the end, it is Deirdre who provides the answer to the question: what is the secret to a good life?