You see, my ambition was not to confound the engineering world but simply to create a beautiful piece of art.

I started by looking at what others had done before me. You see, over the years there have been attempts by many different people to reconstruct the chariot.

It inspired all sorts of whims and fancies that I ultimately wove into a fairy tale complete with muse, the earth, the moon, some famous inventors, a dog and a rabbit.

The original item looked like a little hand cart with the figure of a man mounted on a platform between the wheels. The man's outstretched arm always pointed south.

He was so tenacious he defied the distraction of women by refusing to have them in his presence, just as later in life he denied his blindness by calling for more and more candles.

I think most artists find it difficult to part with their work but it's the parting that keeps us alive and keeps us working. In the case of the chariot, although it's been sold I actually still have it, just in another form.

The dog, the rabbit and the hoop all feature in the painting, and take the place of the orrery.