Behind the Canvas

Your background is a mix of architecture, design, and over 30 years of teaching art and design. How does all that history filter into your work today?

My training as a Chartered Designer and my degree in architecture completely shape how I look at a space. I’m naturally drawn to the built environment, urban landscapes, and everyday, man-made scenes. Decades of teaching just refined that eye for structure. When I look at a city street or working people, I don't just see a view; I see the architectural bones, the human stories, and the social commentary happening right there in the open.

You tend to avoid traditional landscapes in favour of gritty urban scenes and social issues. What is the draw there?

I love the energy of real, everyday life. I also rarely paint in a series—I much prefer creating standalone statement pieces. Everyday objects and urban landscapes carry a lot of unvarnished honesty about how we live and work. I like using my art to comment on those social realities. There is something really powerful about capturing a specific, real-world moment through a contemporary lens.

Your creative process is a cool mix of digital tech and traditional painting. Walk us through how a piece actually comes together.

It’s definitely a blend of old-school observation and modern tech. Everything kicks off on-location with my own photographs and on-site sketching. Back in the studio, I bring those photos into Photoshop to crop them, shift the composition, or tweak the colours. I even use AI every now and then to refine the photographic images. Once the digital reference looks right, I mechanically transfer it onto the support. Then, the digital tools put down and the paint comes out.

How do you actually decide when a painting is done?

Slowly! I mainly work in oils—on everything from small 200mm squares to big canvases over a meter wide—though I do some watercolours and monoprints too. Once the initial paint is down, I live with the piece. I check it and make tweaks over several days or even weeks. At the very end, I usually apply a satin varnish to balance out any uneven glossy or matte patches so it looks perfect under the gallery lights.

In a world full of digital prints and merch, you have a strict "originals only" rule. No prints, no cards. Why is that boundary important to you?

I want every piece to be totally unique. By sticking strictly to original paintings, watercolours, and monoprints, anyone who buys a piece gets a true one-off statement piece. It holds the actual texture, weight, and history of the work I put into it in the studio. You can't replicate that on a postcard.

MAHL is returning to The Horsebridge 14 years after the collective's very first show there. How does it feel to bring this refreshed lineup back to Whitstable?

It feels like a proper homecoming. Whitstable is such a massive cornerstone for us, and returning during the Oyster Festival brings a brilliant energy. Having our founding member John Hughes exhibiting alongside the newer faces perfectly captures what the East Kent art scene is about—growing, passing the torch, and keeping things fresh.