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.

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

If you can see a world within a portrait I would be happy with that. I don't want to tell the story with a painting, though. I'm trying to get away from the story- from the beginning and the ending.

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

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.

I like to listen to a lot of classical music when I'm painting, the most simplistic stuff I can find. I like simple piano.

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