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What is your favourite film of all time?

Leon, very closely followed by My Fair Lady and Empire of The Sun. I love all of Audrey Hepburn's films! Top Gun, The Goonies and Pretty Woman. The Boy In The STriped Pajamas, it's a very grim film, but I think the two boys who strike up a friendship in the film are excellent actors and it is a great reminder to people that it should not happen again in this world. I also like The Coal Miner's Daughter about Loretta Lynn, the Harry Potter films and Hanna, which I recently saw in the cinema. The Secret Garden, Mary Poppins, Edward Scissorhands and Matilda are great films too. I enjoy watching Jeeves and Wooster with Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie; they are so funny together!

What music are you currently listening to and why?

Queen (From what I remember they were one of the first bands I ever listened to and I was blown away by them), The Kinks (They always uplift me), Dolly Parton (I am seeing her perform live in September), Pasty Cline, Loretta Lynn, Bobbie Gentry,  Otis Day and The Knights, Otis Redding, David Bowie, Buddy Holly, Elton John,  Annie Lennox and Judy Garland, The Rolling Stones, Abba, Sonny and Cher, Stevie Wonder, T. Rex, Status Quo, Prince, Jimi Hendrix, Ella Fitzgerald, The Supremes, The Three Degrees, Sandy Shaw, Lulu, Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Kylie Minogue, Eva Cassidy, The Dubliners...and lots more!  

Which living artists do you most admire and why?

I have always loved Tracey Emin’s autobiographical work as it comes from the heart and she is not afraid to express who she is (plus she likes cats like me!). Nan Goldin’s photography for its extreme depth, Steve McCurry takes beautiful shots which really touch me and Tim Burton for his quirkyness.

Which deceased artist do you most admire and why?

There are a few…Egon Schiele fascinates me, it’s the sheer awkwardness of his figures, you can really feel their souls. Paul Gauguin for his bold use of colour. Botticelli struck me from an early age, especially his piece ‘Primavera’, it is so magical and takes you to another world. Raphael’s work has incredible richness, Vermeer painted beautiful people and Rembrandt’s ‘The Night Watch’ I could stare at for days, those glowing, lit up faces just stay with you forever.

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

A few stand out in my mind, which I visited some years ago. The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, where the painting of ‘The Potato Eaters’ particularly struck me. The Picasso Museum in Paris where I was impressed by the painting of ‘Guernica’ and The Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice which I recollect having some great sculpture. Also a few Paul Gauguin exhibitions I have visited and the many beautiful churches in Italy, such as The Sistine Chapel.

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

Why do you paint portraits? People are everywhere, they rule the world in a sense, we can all relate to emotions and certain characteristics in each other. The little quirks in people’s faces always jump out at me.

What / who inspired you to be an artist?

At a fairly young age I went to Saturday Art classes at Colet Court Boys School where my brother attended, which I absolutely loved going to. I also have memories of drawing at an elderly neighbor’s house frequently who liked to do paint by number pictures. A couple of Art teachers, one at the Harrodian school, one at The Unicorn school and at my secondary school, Notting Hill and Ealing where I tended to take refuge in the Art room and skip other classes. My mother with her interest in History of Art has frequently taken me to many of the famous Art galleries and museums in Europe.

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

I work in a small kitchen in my house, which has great light. It is situated at the back of my house, tucked away and generally quiet so I can go into my painting world and block out everything else.

What do you like most about being an artist?

If anything is going wrong in any area of my life I always have my Art to turn to.

What is your greatest achievement as an artist to date?

I really feel I am growing positively in new directions and gaining more confidence in what I do all the time.

What are your plans for the coming year?

To paint more and more whenever I have the opportunity, experiment with oil paints again and hopefully exhibit.