HELLO TOM AND THANK YOU FOR RETURNING TO OUR SECOND COLLABORATION IN 2026. IT’S GREAT TO HAVE  YOU BACK AND THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO SPEAK WITH US ABOUT THE NEW WORK YOU HAVE  MADE.  

TO BEGIN, PLEASE CAN YOU GIVE US A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO YOURSELF AND YOUR PRACTICE FOR  THOSE WHO MAY BE SEEING YOUR WORK FOR THE FIRST TIME; HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR  CREATIVE PROCESS OF MAKING ART?  

I have consistently been painting since 16 years old, now I’m 36, I have gone from painting  people to buildings and since 2016 purely abstract imagery. Over the years my personal  taste has become more focused and refined into something I feel is more concluded and  authentic.  

My own interests feed into my work and articulate a sense of my surroundings . I’m moved  by the urban and natural environments we live in, the seasons, fashion and music. My art life  has been a continual progression with many iterations, developments and triumphs, it feels  like the visual literature to my life as it proceeds.  

The work at large respond to the fabric of daily life. I choose materials and techniques to  translate impressions, layered washes and abrasion evoke erosion; whilst crisp edges and  lines reference the built geometry we live within. I continue to work from Manchester and feel  this cities industrial DNA really feeds in to my imagery and ideas. 

YOU RECENTLY WORKED ON TWO WINDOWS FROM A DISCONTINUED FERRARI 330 AS PART OF  4BYSIX’S VEHICLES FOR CHANGE INITIATIVE, CAN YOU TELL US HOW YOU FOUND THE PROCESS  COMPARED TO OUR LAST COLLABORATION IN WHICH YOU WORKED ON REPURPOSED LORRY  TARPAULIN?  

I found working on glass for the first time really interesting as you gain another dimension to  the surface with the element of transparency. Transparencies are something I use in my  abstracts on canvas a lot, using washes and glazes that allow the layers beneath to be  exposed through the foreground colours. I immediately noticed how the paint behaved  differently as colours I added had to be much more opaque, using less hues. Although the  image is more flat, a deeper sense of depth is present with the glass. The blue tint to the  glass inspired my palette, and offered a sky/water like character to the geometric scene.  

I think this time around was more of a challenge, something newer and altering to my  process.  

WHAT MORE CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE ARTWORK; DID YOU STICK TO YOUR USUAL RESPONSIVE  METHODOLOGY OR DID THIS PIECE REQUIRE MORE PLANNING?  

Yes, as always I kept it unplanned, allowing the painting too dictate the journey of the work.  First I set a horizon into the piece with prime/etch spray which I tend to do with all my  canvases (creating an initial division). Once I had done this it became clear that I should  leave the top half unpainted and perhaps display the works inverted so the paint hung above 

the clear glass, thus creating an unusual imbalance, one that is complemented by the  tapered shape of the pieces.  

REFERENCING 4BYSIX’S WORK AND THE SURFACE YOU HAVE PAINTED ON, CAN YOU TELL US  ABOUT YOUR REACTION WHEN ASKED TO WORK ON THE WINDOWS; DO YOU HAVE A PERSONAL OR  CREATIVE INTEREST IN CARS /VEHICLES?  

I do have an interest in automotive design as a whole, particularly vintage cars and  motorbikes having had a few of them personally. I believe cars articulate a sense of what is  happening in the world through the design trends, we can also choose to own certain types  of cars to complement your own taste just as much as the clothes we wear.  

Cars form part of our surroundings and lives, and certainly surface as significant influence in  the design matter out there. I tend to lean towards futurism, minimal design and dynamic  silhouettes in general, the Ferrari 330 is a great looking machine.  

SINCE WE LAST SPOKE, YOU MENTIONED NEEDING “TIME AWAY FROM THE WORK TO ALLOW  INSPIRATION TO BUILD”. IS THIS SOMETHING YOU ARE STILL PRACTICING OR ARE YOU WORKING ON  ANY NEW PROJECTS AND IDEAS?  

I tend to take regular breaks, painting on alternate days, resting between layers and not over  working. That being said I am currently painting much more at this stage in the year, feeling  inspired I guess. I have tried to work with more volume lately seeing what this brings, also  stemming away from more colourful work at times. It’s all learning which in like.