Was there someone who encouraged you to make art when you were young?

My parents definitely, although they are not artists/creatives. I remember some distant relation or friend of a relation came round to our house once and drew a really good dog. And I had a great art teacher at sixth form (shout out to Mr Morrison).

Did you have artwork on your bedroom walls or around your home growing up, and do you remember a favourite piece or how art made you feel as a child?

I don’t think so no. There wasn’t any art in our house. I think I was probably in my twenties before I started to get any strong physical feelings from looking at/experiencing art.

What do you think your younger self would make of your art and the fact that you became an artist?

I think they’d be happy I suppose.

You’re also a musician. Does creating music influence your art?

Not reeeallly. I’m always thinking about integrating them but I rarely do. They seem like different modes of expression. My visual work is really mostly about form, composition, line, colour and I use music as a way to research things or as experimental writing exercises etc. So it’s playful in the same way. I don’t sit down to make music, it just floats around in my head and then I record it, but with art it all comes out of the process. So it’s like the opposite approach.

What else do you like to do when you're not illustrating?

To be honest I just want to make music and art all the time. I have enough obstacles in the way of that, so if i’m not illustrating and i’m not teaching or hanging out with my kids I’ll be in the studio painting or making music!