I have just listened to “The Art of Now: Dangerous places” on Radio 4. An amazing programme about the bravery and work done by artists living and working in conflict zones. The presenter Errollyn Wallen asks why and what does it achieve. She ultimately concludes. “Every artist asks, 'what’s the point of this, what good can it do?'. Very important questions. They help us work out what artists can do that nobody else can. All your training as an artist only matters if you can s

When I’m beginning a new project, it’s often a challenge to know where to start. It’s one of the most difficult aspects of being a painter, but I know the best start is to pick up a pencil and get drawing. Reading an interview in The Guardian with Paula Rego, she holds this view and feels ”You learn so much drawing from life, you have to look so carefully. It’s very difficult to actually see what’s there, the more you do it, the better you get at looking and that’s a discipli

- David Bomberg - What an extraordinary show the exhibition of David Bombergs’ paintings is, now at The Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle. Not just because of Bomberg’s superb work but because I was overwhelmed with sadness that this artist didn’t get the recognition he deserved during his lifetime. His life tells the tale of one so familiar with artists, their success or otherwise in the hands of a few, with set ideas of their own, that can make or break you. Bomberg was commis