MASTERCLASS
Painters Table (Red Bowl), oil and cold wax on linen, 153⁄4×193⁄4in (40×50cm)
Although I have drawn since childhood, I was in my midtwenties when I first went to art school, the Byam Shaw School of Art, London, after encouragement from a teacher at a life-drawing class. There I was at first attracted to the discipline of the life room, which was primarily run along the principles of exacting measurement of the Euston Road School. Although I am glad I learnt to draw like this I think that, at its worst, it can become a style that can lead to rather dreary uninspiring paintings; I now feel able to break free from this exactness and combine drawing with a more intuitive approach to painting.