I have been described as a 'Painters Painter'. I think this means that there is intrinsic beauty in the mark making and the design elements - a process I use to get the essence of the subject matter.

Sometimes the immediate quality of a work can be as a result of a 'happy accident'. You mix a colour by mistake and put in on, you rub something out and think 'you know what I like that' and you keep it. Remembering what you did for another day.

There are also times when you struggle with a painting and feel you're losing it and not sure what to do - at these times you just try anything - at these moments the 'happy accident' can work again.

For me a painting needs to work on a number of levels - subject matter, size, mark making, colour and design. I need to like the subject and I get real joy from creating a work that reflects how I feel about it.