The stimulus for a painting is often an arrangement of colours, shapes or rhythms that simply have to be painted – subtlety against strength in still life, and a particular configuration of the various elements in landscape. Memory, or more specifically, an association either mental or visual, can also play a part. Objects with a sense of history or the human touch (either personal or unknown) intrigue me.

I have always made portraits, the challenge is engaging with the physical and mental make-up of a fellow human being, getting under the surface as well as visually responding to it. I work from life, chasing the rhythms and nuances which reveal, I hope, the truth about the sitter. The process is a mixture of, at first, a fluid response, then more about coaxing, changing, chancing, and measuring, until, through a searching collaboration, an answer is found. With self-portraits, in addition to significant birthdays or events, I have made one every day since 1st January 2008.