Roger Farnworth was born in Truro. He studied the Philosophy of Perception at the University of Bristol, subsequently taking a diploma in Social Work in London. During the 1960s he worked in Zambia for four years, followed by a spell in Saudi Arabia. In 1969 he and his family settled in Warleggan, Cornwall.

A man of wide-ranging interests including psychology, archaeology and poetry, Roger was one of the North Cornwall Seven group of painters, as well as being a member of several Cornish poetry groups, the Julian group, the local United Nations Association, and many others. Nationally, he was Intellectual Events Officer for MENSA. He was a valued contributor to Cornish archaeology. His commitment as a peace campaigner was evident from the time he spent as a volunteer with the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel in 2003-2004.

His paintings were exhibited widely in Cornwall and on a number of occasions in London.

His work Mont Sainte-Victoire Farm (Provence) was exhibited at Falmouth Art Gallery in 2000 during the '20 Years of Contemporary Art' Exhibition.

Among Roger Farnworth's philosophical observations was this one on colour: 'Nearly all our perception is visual. Nearly all reality comes to us on the vehicle of colour. So the best way to explore reality is to use colour: to paint.'