I don't think of myself as a rebellious artist, a lot of people have said that about me because I came from Cornwall and choose to paint people in what they considered to be an urban style instead of Cornish landscapes. I've never agreed with them. It's bullshit.

Sometimes I just want to sit and write at a clean table and not get paint all over my hands.

I don't really need to be inspired by literature though. At the end of the day it's colour and imagery moved around until it works.

To make music I rely on other people, which is good - that's the main difference in painting and music at this stage. They are separate parts of my life really, like having two jobs, one in a bar, one in a lighthouse.

I sometimes use music as way of getting back to a certain time, dredging up stuff from the past and putting it down on canvas.

Painting is a solitary act for me; I don't need anyone around to make paintings.

Other people's songs can inspire me, though - I always have music on when I'm painting.