User Account

What is your favourite film of all time?

Too hard, Romancing the Stone as an 80's classic and Mulholland Drive as an arty extravaganza

What music are you currently listening to and why?

I've been listening to Hidden Orchestra most recently, it's quite relaxing to paint to, but also quite dark, mysterious and funky all at the same time.

Which living artists do you most admire and why?

David Hockney. He's just done so much, always ahead of his game with new technology, he's also published more books about his art theories than any other living artist I know of. Plus he manages to make his work innovative and commercial at the same time. A real mover.

Which deceased artist do you most admire and why?

Andrew Wyeth. Nobody could come close to producing watercolours as fine.

Which exhibition that you have visited made the greatest impact on you and why?

The Picasso centre in Berlin has the top floor dedicated to Paul Klee paintings. I went there for the Paul Klee. It was just fantastic seeing so many amazing paintings by one of my favourite artists in real life.

What is the question you get asked most frequently about your work and how do you answer it?

"How do you get your watercolours so bright (because normally watercolours are so wishy washy and I don't usually like them)?"

I use artist quality pigments and load the brush with pigment. I have spent many years building up my knowledge of how all the different colours react with one another, so I am able to choose the most transparent and luminous colour combinations, depending on what the painting requires.

What / who inspired you to be an artist?

My teachers at school, my friends, my family and all the artists I admire. But the crunch came when I was in Assisi in Italy and I saw an exhibition or shop selling pictures and prints by this one local artist, that's when I decided that I was going to be a professional artist.

Can you tell us about where you make your art and what if any the significance of this location is?

I make my art in Bristol, more specifically Jamaica Street Studios. The Studios are crucial for high- quality Bristol artists because there are about fourty artists in there, nearly all professional, so you can learn so much and get so many opportuninties. The studios also put on some large exhibitions in Bristol, so it's perfect for getting your work out there. Bristol itself has been an exciting city to paint, so much variety from one street to the next. I feel it's a place where I can do a bit of recording of modern life, which is important for an artist to do, to record the times they live in. It's also really easy to get out into the countryside by bike or train and explore the surrounding area.

What do you like most about being an artist?

Freedom to go where I want when I want (most of the time).

What is your greatest achievement as an artist to date?

The solo show I just put on at the Royal West of England Academy. It was in conjunction with the sustainable transport charity Sustrans. I painted scenery I had reached sustainably, by walking, cycling or train and I raised £730 for Sustrans.

What are your plans for the coming year?

I plan to explore new places, paint new places, paint more people, just diversify and see where it leads. I'm also going to do a series of night/ dawn/ twilight paintings.