In The End, It Doesn't

When I Left The Royal College, I Decided I Would Only Make Paintings That I Would Want To Look At Myself, That Felt Close To My Life.

Often I Think Changes Within My Work Have Been Seen As Sudden Changes Or Sharp Changes, But For Me They're Not That Sudden. They Have Been There In The Studio, But Not So Much In Public.

The Studio Is A Place Where I Can Experiment Before I'm Prepared For An Idea To Become A Body Of Work, Or A New Way Of Working, Or A Way Of Working That Can Sustain Me Over A Period Of Time.

I Was Listening To A Lot Of Hip Hop, Music Like Public Enemy That Was About Raising Consciousness, And I Realised I Could Feed That Directly Into My Work, Using Images In A Way That Was A Bit Like Sampling - Taking Images From Diverse Places, Exploring The Contradictions Without Trying To Hide The Seams.

I'm Aware That Success Can Overwhelm You. The Perception Of You Can Be Elevated To Such A Status That It's Not You Any More.