I want to paint big, bright, optimistic pictures of the place I love.

The paintings by Van Gough and Chagall had a big influence on me.

My father is a well known artist, Ted Dyer, who has been painting for many years. Our work is very different, but growing up surrounded by paintings, paints, easels and art books does have an effect.

I realised that if I did what I wanted to do, it would work.

St. Michaels Mount is a favourite place of mine; people will walk across to the Mount all day and assume they will be able to walk home. The spectacle of hundreds of people realising that the path they walked over on is disappearing under several feet of water is very amusing.

I use about 20 different colours to retain the luminance in my work.

I have improved the way in which I paint. The colours are cleaner and there is more energy in the brush work.