I remained in the studio for the first few weeks of January working on the large paintings of London. The country has been battered by storms, wind rain and floods. This is a difficult month at the best of times, but the weather only added to the bleakness. Dark days and short nightstand the start of a new year lead to a different approach to the work I make outside. I start by making drawings. Something I was always keen to instils in the students I taught. Form sketches to larger drawings I find the directness as a way back in to seeing new possibilities and ideas.