Whenever I’m stuck and need some inspiration I turn to the kitchen. Most of my still life paintings are memoirs of long lunches spent with beautiful friends. Nowadays, I’m documenting the many meals made, whilst in isolation with my family. 

For those wanting to spend this time getting creative, my advice is to get adventurous in the kitchen, and be brave with the paint brushes. 

Our neighbour on the South Coast often goes spear fishing - we were lucky enough to be given a lobster from his last dive. Although cooking the lobster was rather intimidating, it was totally worth it. The rich tail meat worked perfectly with a simple sugo and spaghetti.

My advice when starting a painting is to make sure you have done a few little sketches - pictures can also be great, have them on hand so you can reference them. When painting a still life, think about the colours and tones you love. In my opinion, a refined colour pallet always looks great.

Remember to work slow and be patient. I paint with oil paints, so really I have no option. I find myself working between several paintings so I never get frustrated. When something doesn’t look right, walk away and look at it with fresh eyes.