I came to painting later than some people, but once it got hold of me, that was that.

I’ve always been fascinated by people, characters and stories. The tiny things especially — a glance, a posture, the space between two people, all the things we say without actually saying anything.

I love creating characters and moments in time. Painting has simply given me a new way of doing that.

What I love most is being able to catch something that would normally be gone in seconds and keep it. A look, a laugh, an atmosphere, a relationship. You can come back to a painting years later and somehow the feeling is still there.

Maybe that’s part of the attraction for me. Life keeps moving, but a painting lets you keep a moment.

And I definitely think life should keep moving. We should be allowed to change direction, try something new, start again and surprise ourselves.

My painting is changing too. I’m becoming less interested in getting everything exactly right and much more interested in the feeling of it — the mood, the energy and the story.

I’m learning as I go, and I’m giving it my best shot.

This is my latest version.

Come in and have a wander.