I have no way of knowing what you are going to feel when you look at one of my paintings; I only know what I feel.

I used to use a lot of words in the paintings but stopped because it created a narrative - or an answer to a question.

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.

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.

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.

A lot of my words come to me when I'm out and about as well, riding the bus or sat in the pub. I went through a stage of going to a strip bar called the White Horse at lunch times and did a lot of writing in there. They were fine with that but I don't know how they would feel about me setting up the easel.

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