This unfortunately timed photo is me looking delighted to be interviewed by the BBC about my submission for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. A thank you to the lovely film crew, it really wasn't that bad! However, I was a bit startled and unprepared. If it does ever make it to TV, here are the 100 words I wrote to accompany the artwork ('Claude' - Oil on Board). Let's hope I managed to get some of it across on film!
"I initially intended this piece to be a minimal painting of an artist in his studio. However, as I painted I was listening to a radio discussion on poverty. I began thinking of the different way poverty is perceived. The romantic notion of the penniless artist means it’s almost like proof of integrity, compared to the portrayal of the poor as feckless and lazy. I added a teacup to his table, rather than a glass of wine. It could still be an artist in his Parisienne garret, but it could also be a man in a room somewhere in England."
