The most important aspect of painting, for me, is the paint itself, and the way it is applied to the two-dimensional picture plane. Every brushstroke must be fresh, honest and alive, as this is the way I connect with the essence of my subject.

I acheive this by working rapidly, thus capitalizing on the malleability and slow drying-time of my medium of choice, oils, which, from my years of making jewellery, I liken to working with high-karat gold. While other media are lovely, like silver, oils are unique in their forgiving characteristics, and their seductive buttery consistency.

Art does not reproduce the visible, it recreates it.