Painting offers adventure, discovery, hope, intoxication and a state of being lost to the world. When I’m painting it’s as if I’m mining for gold. Revelation of something new, that is the hope, the driving force. Sometimes I look at a painting (in progress) for weeks then finally make a decision about what to do which may take all of half an hour. There’s a thrill in this but there is also a pleasure in the contemplation. Whether thinking or doing there is the connection with the work and the disconnect with whatever else is happening around me. I love it, but others find my absence frustrating and even annoying. About the intoxication. You can get intoxicated by colour when it’s right. Who wouldn’t paint!