"As a landscape painter living in Cheshire I don’t have to look too far for my inspiration. It’s on my doorstep and the ever-changing light and seasons in this country make it a painter’s paradise. Rarely does my work depict a particular place, but surprisingly within each piece there’s a curious familiarity – almost convincing us that we have been to or seen this place before. I suppose like a lot of artists, what my work represents is escapism. Maybe something deep inside conjures up the images portraying the idea of a safe haven – a good, calm, peaceful place.

I believe that the fact that I had no formal training was actually an advantage not a disadvantage as I had first thought. Being allowed to explore only areas that interested me, following my gut instinct and taking my inspiration from artists that I admired. The net result was that I was able to develop a style of my own which has evolved over the years, but still maintains the key features that make it distinctive."