Has nature always been an inspiration for you?

For as long as I’ve been painting, nature has been one of my biggest inspirations. I see something growing, or a combination of plants and flowers that just tick all the right boxes and I’m compelled to paint it. I’m more of a fan of the less manicured more natural in nature, when it's slightly wilder and maybe out of our control.

I do think we could all do with celebrating and appreciating nature a bit more.

Plants and flowers are a constant feature in your work, do you have favourites?

Some of my favourites are plants or flowers that seem to have a mind of their own, for instance, nasturtiums going on their own journey with stems that curl and weave. I love a good stem, and how I can use it in a painting to weave through an arrangement, holding things together. Corn flowers will often feature in my paintings too, not only for that lovely splash of blue, but again the stem can be played with beautifully in a painting. This year I’ve also discovered the beauty of Lords and Ladies, the colours! They’ve featured in a couple of my paintings recently, and no doubt will crop up again.

I’m also in love with leaves, the sheer number of different leaf shapes excites me, and they are always an important part of any composition.

Also, certain pots crop up in various paintings – are there stories behind those?

I’ve been collecting pots, vessels and cups for some time now, always with an eye as to how they can feature in my paintings. I’ll either be taken by a particular shape (I do so enjoy painting a tea cup, each one has a distinctive shape or character all of its own) or a design on it that I know I’ll enjoy painting. The more complicated, the more fun I’ll have.

You’ve done a lot of book illustration as well; does it feel like you have more freedom with a painting?

Painting is total freedom compared to illustrating books, where obviously you have to stick to a brief and answer to the demands of a publisher. Now I can listen to my own inner voice when I’m painting, and if something excites me creatively I can pursue it.

I now look at the world through different eyes, everything now is a possible painting. I love it! It’s brought great joy and less stress into my working life.

How do you set about starting a painting? Do you use photos or sketches?

I’m always jotting down ideas for possible paintings when they pop into my head. I do have a sketch-ideas book, but often I don’t have this with me so it’ll be on any scrap of paper I can find, or I jot notes on my phone.

I also take many photos on my phone whenever I’m out walking - of plants, flowers, wild or in a garden. I’ll use these rough small sketches along with photos as a starting point for a painting. Or I'll pick whatever’s growing in the garden and add these to the arrangement. I imagine I’m a florist making my arrangement in paint.

Do you paint every day?

I view my painting as a job, my whole career has been as a creative, so yes I do paint every day. I’m lucky that I have a studio in the garden, so my daily commute isn’t too onerous.

How long does one of your paintings take you?

How long is a piece of string? A difficult question that’s hard to answer precisely, especially as I always have quite a few paintings on the go at once. This is because new ideas for paintings that demand to be painted are always popping into my head. So I have to put aside the one I’ve been working on to see to the new one clamouring for attention. They pretty much all get finished in one form or another eventually. This makes it very hard to put a time on each one.

One of the larger canvases may take three or four weeks in total, although the reality is it could have been in a state of flux in the studio for six months or more.

Some of the smaller ones can be anything from a couple of days to a week or two. Nothing is predictable, if you’re lucky everything works perfectly the first time, but sometimes it takes many mistakes and over painting to get it right.

Do you work in silence, or do you listen to music or the radio?

It will depend at what point I’m at in the painting. Usually at the start of a painting when I’m still working it out on the canvas, I like to be in silence so I don’t get distracted from the flow of ideas. This is often the most challenging bit. Later, especially if I’ve reached a wonderful mindful bit, like the complicated details on a porcelain jug, or painting in the background colour on a large canvas, then Radio 4 or a podcast works well. I really enjoy this bit of the process, as it silences my brain and lets me relax.

You live in Guildford – which places in the local landscape provide the best inspiration?

I’m lucky to live near the Downs and Chantries woods. It’s possible to leave my house and walk all day through woods, meadows and farmland. We are so lucky in this country to have so much accessibility to our countryside with many footpaths. All my work is inspired my nature around me, so walking is a very important part of the process. I enjoy exploring different landscapes that offer different flora. So when time allows I like to go on solo trips further afield for a few days, walking all day taking photos of what’s growing through the seasons. Norfolk, Cumbria and Suffolk to name a few often-visited places.

Are there other artists who have particularly inspired you?

Cedric Morris’s work always delights, such beautiful colour and observation. The masters of Dutch flower painting for their exuberance and sheer over the top arrangements. Tirzah Garwood is an absolute favourite. Tessa and Mary Newcombe, their gardens, allotments and everyday scenes bring me joy. Elizabeth Endres’s still lives are such fun and full of gorgeous detail, and Vanessa Bowman’s stylised flower paintings are just a few of the artists whose work has inspired me.

Your paintings have great colour palettes – are there any colours or combinations you don’t like using?

I’m pretty open to using any colour palette, in fact it’s good to change things up a bit. Though as much as I like other people’s work that uses more toned down, muted colours, I find it almost impossible to do the same myself.

Do you have any painting ambitions?

My painting ambitions are simply to be able to carry on doing what I do for as long as possible. I hope to keep having the opportunity to show my work as much as possible, and in so doing, share the beauty of nature around us.