My first time...

If there was a list of things I never thought I'd ever do, writing a blog would be pretty near the top, somewhere between swimming with crocodiles and bungee jumping off...well, pretty much anything. And yet here I am!

This first entry is just to say hello but in future I will be either talking about my art or about artists I love and/or whose work inspires me in some way. I'm not the kind of person who thinks about their art in a very intellectual considered way, a lot (but not all) of what I do is more instinctual than thought out. But I'll explain all that in another installment. You needn't worry that I'll be using too much 'artspeak' either, that just isn't my style. I want what I do to be as accessible possible to as many people as possible.

Sketch for Demdike in Gaol (2018)

When talking about my own work I shall try to explain, where necessary, what my process is, and why I'm doing it that way. I say 'try' because I don't always know myself, I often do things because they feel right rather than coming from any thought out plan of action, especially when painting. My pen and ink drawings tend to be much tighter - more highly rendered - than my paintings though so more planning is required for those.

Hylas and the Nymphs by John William Waterhouse (1896)

The artists who have made an impact on me come from many different styles, schools and disciplines, from Pre-Raphaelites to illustrators, from Japanese prints to comics. Their influence may or may not always be visible in my work but it will be there in the execution, thinking, composition or some other way. I hope you will find what I have to say interesting and maybe you'll discover a new artist along the way!

Onzōshi Ushiwakamaru and Musashibō Benkei by Utagawa Hiroshige (1854)