My work has been predominantly about non-verbal communication and identity, how we perceive ourselves and the world around us, and the image we project. I have a fascination with individuality, and an almost zealot-like fervour about the importance of enjoying being oneself.

With my recent work I have been exploring culture and values, what is important to society, and how they are epitomised to me. This is not just about the big things, but the small things too. Those things we take for granted, yet value and enjoy.

My work develops in a way that mirrors my personality, for me spontaneous decisions work best. I have learnt to trust my instincts, rather than relying on conscious decisions, otherwise I tend to faff and make mistakes by 'over-logicking' the options. I have found that if I reverse engineer my choices, and ask my self why something seemed right, the reasoning is generally sound.

I develop my ideas by doing work, rather than doing it in books. I find if I spend too much time developing ideas my enthusiasm dissipates and the finished piece feels flat and overworked. I use my work to experiment, where others would use a sketchbook. My sketch book is for sketching, to practice a technique, warm up or to familiarise myself with a sitter, so my subconscious can take over when it comes to the real thing. I liken it to muscle memory in a sport.

I cross genre easily, most often from painting to sculpture/installation, frequently combining two or more normally separate media. I have a short span of attention, for the same reason I will truly never understand the ‘Gilbert and George’ mentality, finding one format and sticking to it doggedly, I get bored easily and will not force a material to do something that doesn’t come naturally. I have to use the medium that feels right for the subject.

Figurative painting is the ‘language’ I am most expressive in. The abstract is for me like a primal scream, cathartic and refreshing, but it is ultimately just an exercise in composition, I will probably always return to the speech and words that the figurative gives me. I have been accused of relying on it as a crutch, but for me it provides a structure to build on, it is frequently the support for other ideas, It is also a medium that I find others can relate to, it gives them a place to start from.

My paintings of people are about the relationship I have with them. I am relatively dogmatic with how I paint from life, not editing any specific detail for flattery, as I feel it actually insults the sitter. I rely upon my subconscious to supply the emotion, if I feel positive towards a subject it will come out in the painting. I rarely paint from photos as it doesn’t give what I ‘see’ it gives what the camera sees; a split second of the light that has fallen on the subject. The format is innately artificial, the only time we see a person absolutely still, is in a photo. When you paint from a photo you don’t get a painting of a person you get a painting of a photo. Where I have used photos, I use them as a form in there own right, rather than a poor substitute for a live sitter.

I reserve the right to contradict myself.