Tell us a little about your background as an artist. What prompted you to start a career as an artist, and what has kept you there over the years?
I grew up in a typical working-class family in East London. My grandad was a bricklayer, my uncle a plasterer, my brother an electrician, my dad repaired sewing machines in sweatshops, and my mum was a cleaner.
The idea of being an artist and going to art school never occurred to me until I went to secondary school. I was blessed with two fantastic art teachers, Trevor Sowden and Chris Taylor, who made me think beyond the job prospects that seemed to be possible at 15. The initial seed that was planted was to become an art teacher. It was only towards the end of the first degree that the idea of being an artist was seen as a real possibility.
I have taught ever since leaving art school in 1986, but
