3. Collage

Few subjects contain as much joy as flowers; they are so alive, richly coloured and deeply attractive to paint. The spirit of play is a very useful thing to have in your creative practice and flowers encourage that in me every time. In fact, during the lockdown, I believe it is what kept me on an even keel and also kept a sense of harmony at home. Working in the living room, I was surrounded by flowers, or paintings of them, and it was a lovely atmosphere to be in.

One of the main ingredients in my recent floral work has been collage. I could only satisfyingly explain the free, dancing action of the various flowers by adding bits of torn paper extending