User Account

What is your favourite film of all time?

At the moment Intacto, Requiem for a Dream and most recently C.R.A.Z.Y, I also really enjoy old black and white films, but still being young im still hoping I havent seen my favorite film of all time yet.

What music are you currently listening to and why?

I listen to a lot of jazz music, mainly Miles Davis and John Coltrane because it is there in the background when painting but does not overpower thoughts. I also listen to a wide variety of music from Radiohead more classical music such as Ludovico Einaudi.

Which living artists do you most admire and why?

For a while now I have followed the work of John Virtue and since seeing an exhibition of London Paintings at the National Gallery his work has inspired me and fascinated me. I also admire and enjoy the work of photographers such as Wolfgang Tillmans. However, although i admire and enjoy many artists, i cannot say that many influence my work a great deal. In a way the most influencial living people to my work are the architects that build and design the buildings i want to paint.

Which deceased artist do you most admire and why?

Jackson Pollock and Turner. Jackson Pollock did something that i find fascinating, for me being able to isolate yourself to the point of producing something to put all other work you have done as an artist to shame and revolutionise the art world at the time is truly remarkable. However, the painting skills of Turner are almost unrivaled, and i cant help but massively admire him as a painter. I can look at many of his paintings for hours and not be bored by them.

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

John Virtue - London Paintings, as well as the permanent collection at the National Gallery. Both because they remind me that whilst contemporary art should be revoluitionary and full of new ideas, the most difficult skill is still to paint as effectively as artists such as Turner, but this has to be married with contemporary views in order for art to advance forward. For me Virtue is a perfect example of marrying the two skills with landscape paintings, since he achieves an abstract view of a place whilst keeping the topography accurate and gives a real sense of the actual location.

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

Most people ask me why I just use black ink in so many of my paintings, and I answer that I am always trying to achieve and convey the atmosphere or integrity of a piece of architecture or a city without clouding it with colour or shading. If St Pauls Cathedral can be painted with just black ink and still be recognised and embraced as St Pauls Cathedral, then i find it more interesting as a piece of art than say a photo-realism painting of the subject.

What / who inspired you to be an artist?

No one thing or person, I gradually enjoyed drawing more and eventually experimented with painting. Once I really started to become more knowledgable about art and architecture it gave me the confidence to start painting and my skills and knowledge evolved from there.

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

In my studio, or sometimes outside, as long as there is natual light and space im happy.

What do you like most about being an artist?

It forces you to be aware of your environment, and allows you to recreate spaces in paintings and experiment with whatever you feel is appropiate. As a result you learn a lot about yourself and understand things which otherwise would go past unnoticed.

What is your greatest achievement as an artist to date?

Completing a comission of London from Grenwich Hill to fit a specific canvas size with the pressure of needing the money to afford materials to carry on painting and finishing the work succesfully and being extremely pleased with it. I also feel that having my first solo exhibition when i was 17, and selling work at it, was a great achievment.

What are your plans for the coming year?

To carry on painting and to continue selling art in the hope of having another solo exhibition in London next year.