I have long considered the word drawing to mean ‘making’ in the fullest sense of the word. Drawing forms the spine of my painting; how everything is put together is down to the drawing. I make study drawings and improvised drawings constantly too - in different sized books and on different supports.

I am intrigued by the enhanced impetus to be specific that single tone drawing demands. My recent paintings were made with a range of different brushes: brushes of different shape, weight and thickness and I wanted to keep using brushes in a direct way and decided that ink enabled me to do this. The immediacy and flow of the medium also appeals to me. Brush drawing has an intimacy and a directness that feels unerringly personal, and even a little unsettling. You have to face your demons.