User Account

What is your favourite film of all time?

A strange film not many people have seen.  I came across it by chance as a child one wet Sunday afternoon.  It's called the 7 Faces of Dr Lao.  Set in a town in the wild west it's all about this circus that comes to town and how it changes peoples lives.  I've since come across the book 'The Circus of Dr Lao' which was written by a guy called Charles G Finney and illustrated by Boris Artzybasheff who was quite a big name in illustration in the States.  The illustrations are great and the book has quite a dark feel to it compared to the film which is really aimed at kids.

What music are you currently listening to and why?

Black Keys - El Camino why?  because it's good. 

Which living artists do you most admire and why?

Marlene Dumas is a favourite, I like the way she thinks about her work it makes sense the way she describes her relationship with the photographs she works from. 
David Hockney, I just like that he's come back to his roots.

Grason Perry.  I like his appreciation of craft, I like that he sees that as a big part of what he does.  I guess it's becasue I struggle to intellectualise what I do myself so value the act of doing very much.

Ai Weiwei.  Enough said.

Which deceased artist do you most admire and why?

Alice Neel.  Why because she was messed up, brilliant, nuts, honest and totally human.

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

This changes all the time really, there have been many for many different reasons.  I went to the Biennale this year in Venice and laughed my socks off at an animation some Italian Studen had done, it was brilliant. 

The painting of Modern Life at the Heyward back in 2006 was another great exhibition which I enjoyed for completely different reasons. 

Alice Neel at the Whitechapel, I think it was 2010.  Totally blew me away.

Visiting exhibitions isn't just about the art, it's about finding something on your own, it's very affected by how busy the gallery is and if you are on your own or with others.  Sometimes are it clever, it makes you think, it makes you laugh.  Sometimes it's just beautiful and that for me is when it's the best.

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

I'm really quite reluctant to talk about my work, I find it really difficult to articulate what it is that I do.  I guess people often want to know who is the picture of and I try and explain that that really doesn't concern me.  I'm not painting portraits, I'm looking at an image of a person and drawing out of that what I see, what the paint does.  For me I'm excited by what comes out of this process.

What / who inspired you to be an artist?

I honestly don't know what or who inspired me.  I know I've always just wanted to be an artist, I drew all the time as a kid and it's the only thing that's always held my interest.  I know I have to thank my grandfather who took me to galleries from time to time.  I don't think I would have gone ever if it hadn't been for him. 

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

The location is significant.  I work at home, I have an office/studio in the cellar and I've painted every wall, the ceiling and the floor white to try and get as much light as possible.  I guess I've really stuck to the watercolours becasue they are more suited to the space I have just now.  Oil painting wouldn't work here, I don't have the sapce and the smell would drive my family mad.  I have a big family and also a lot of responsibility with our family business too.  I don't have to worry too much about wiping my hands off before picking up the phone with the watercolours and I don't have to stick overalls on either or worry abou the kids wandering in and picking stuff up.  I would really really like a studio space though.

What do you like most about being an artist?

For me it's a state of mind really.  I've been working on some projects recently that haven't been about painting, but you somehow bring so much knowledge of art and of being an artist to everythign that you do.

What is your greatest achievement as an artist to date?

I'm not sure I have one yet.

What are your plans for the coming year?

The coming year is really busy and I'm hoping to get into painting again really soon.  I've got 3 projects on the go right now which have a more commercial motivation to them. 

one is a map which I'm hand drawing and have found incredibly challenging.  the second is a photography project called North Wales Holiday Photos and that's been really great so far.  I've been working with so many people to create this archive of pictures and will be creating a display with them in late spring.  I'm hoping to put this project forward for a competition too.The third is a sculptural project in it's very early stages.