IT'S a journey which could have started with his father, William, who could 'draw a bit.' But Mr Rollinson was a busy policeman posted to different stations including Rawtenstall, Failsworth, Ramsbottom, Thornton and Cleveleys.
His son remembers that, even after retirement, his father did not pursue his gift, enjoying his garden more than anything..
And Geoff's own skills - higlighted at school when his best subjects were art, English and maths - could have been nurtured further from the age of 15 when he started a commercial arts course at Bolton Art College - but didn't finish it.
Bored
"I left after three months," he admits. "I've never been so bored in my life! All we seemed to do was design labels for beer bottles or packages for Johnson's baby products."
So he changed direction and, having learnt to enjoy and respect the Lancashire countryside around the towns where his father was posted, became a gamekeeper and worked in other areas of agriculture, a job he loved.
The inspirational doctor's surgery of the introduction to this story was in Great Eccleston, to where the 20 year old Geoff submitted two of his oil paintings after staff agreed to exhibit them.
"Basically, it was always my intention to become a full time artist eventually, and when I saw what was on the surgery walls, I thought I could do better than that!" Geoff recalls with a laugh.
"One of my paintings was geese on the moss at Out Rawcliffe - I can't remember the other one - but I sold both for £1.10! It was a great boost to my confidence and I think my painting really took off from there."
For the next eight or nine years, Geoff continued to work in oils. By this time he was living in Longridge and working as a laboratory and workshop trechnician at Longridge High School, where he stayed for ten years.
"I took the job because it allowed me to build up my painting output, finishing at 4.30pm and having the evenings and week-ends to concentrate," he explained.
He built up his skills also by reading, studying other artists in galleries around the country, gaining particular inspiration from the English Gordon Bedingfield, Canadian Robert Bateman and Carl Brenders from Belgium.
His media expanded from oils to gouache and acrylic, all three of which he uses now for the wildlife and landscapes he executes in the fine detail for which he has become so well known.
Galleries around Lancashire and in Yorkshire, Scotland, Stratford and London, as well as individual collectors, all showcase his work and he has achieved high popularity in many areas abroad including the Shetland Isles, Germany, America and Saudi Arabia.
Fifteen years ago, he and his wife Sue moved to Ribchester, continuing to fulfill his aim of being a full-time artist by opening a gallery, organising exhibitions, taking his work to the more public venue of the annual Game Fair, and completing commissions for dogs, horses, people's houses, one or two portraits, plus his own signature and realistic landscapes and wildlife.
He uses sketches and photographs to make sure details are exact. "People know the scenes they've asked me to paint and I tend to stick to realistic country themes for most of my work," Geoff explained.
"I still exhibit prints in various local venues but have given up the hassle of taking paintings to any shows. I am quite content now to carry on with my work here, doing the commissions, painting every day.
"It's like a fix! If I don't, I know about it and really miss it!"
And he adds "I am very fortunate to be making a living out of something which is a hobby. Even when I am out walking, or enjoying fishing or shooting in the countryside, I am always looking for things which will inspire me and which I can involve in my art."