"A study of Sylvia, Limited Edition, 3 of 95." Drawing

I have often been asked "who taught you to draw and paint?" The answer is always the same:"nobody did, l always could". Well, most of the time I could, or I can.... I didn't get into St. Martins, but I did have an interesting interview there..... does that matter? To me it doesn't. It clearly wasn't meant to be.... my life clearly wasn't intended to head down that particular avenue. I have studied life and people extensively; often participating, but always absorbing what’s happening around me...... life and people fascinate me (and also frustrate me!)..... I paint what I see, imagine or feel.... My creative mind twists and alters images, thoughts and feelings, which I then attempt to translate onto canvas. I paint because I love it and I want to share what l see, what I imagine and what l feel... art is a form of expression and communication. Sometimes the results are good, sometimes not.... but the escapism and the journey is important to me. The human body strongly influences many of my paintings, however, my art is certainly not limited to this. I have very little desire to paint bowls of fruit and vases of flowers; such things may be beautiful, however they do not personally inspire me to paint.... However this may change in time… I am currently exploring my mind and experimenting with abstract and abstract expressionism. I hate to feel restricted by a certain style.... well, I actually hate to feel restricted, full stop. Artists I admire/find interesting: Lucian Freud, Van Gogh, Picasso, Magritte, Edward Byrne Jones, Jean Francois Millet, Rembrandt, Rubens, Francis Bacon, Manet, Van Dyck, Bassano, Vermeer, Velazquez, Edward Hopper, Andrew Wyeth, David Hockney, Stanley Spencer...... I could go on, the list is endless! Thank you for your interest. Have a great day!