I've just spent a wonderful weekend in Wales and whilst there I visited MOMA in Machynlleth. This art gallery and arts centre is in the ancient town of Machynlleth, the seat of Owain Glyndŵr's Welsh Parliament in 1404. It has a superb permanent collection of work by Welsh artists including Sir Kyffin Williams and a revolving programme of temporary exhibitions that offer an extraordinary variety of work by contemporary artists largely working in Wales. How lucky I was that the

I'm looking forward to Artweeks this year. I shall be exhibiting at home for 2 weekends and I will be there throughout. For several years I have found galleries and venues to exhibit my work in but I realised I missed out on seeing the visitors coming to look at my work. This seems to be a fundamental principle of Artweeks, an opportunity for people to see artists in their studios and talk to them about their work. This has to be one of the most rewarding parts of an artist’s

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