The past five years have been an extraordinary period of growth. During that time, the vision I’ve carried for the past four decades finally became a reality: I embraced an aesthetic that has enthralled me for years and began incorporating ideas and concerns into my work that I had previously been unable to fully express.
Building a vision is a lifetime’s work. That vision begins with an internal revelation; you see something, and it changes your life forever. Over time, often years, and in some cases decades, the vision comes to fruition piece by piece. Eventually, you reach the threshold toward which the previous years have been leading. There’s no turning back. Now the vision must enter the world on its own terms.
For more than four decades, my work has been shaped by the Pre-Raphaelites, particularly the art of Edward Burne-Jones and the broader Symbolist and fin de siècle traditions. The essay below, published in the Summer 2025 issue of The PRS Review as the inaugural entry in the series In an Artist’s Studio, outlines the development of that influence across my artistic life.
The creation of a new piece of work unfolds in ways most people never imagine. It’s nonlinear, unpredictable, and refuses to adhere to routine. This isn’t a recipe for paella, it’s the act of conjuring something from nothing.
My work is defiance on paper. I am not here to chase trends or court popularity—I am here to be myself. And being yourself means going against expectations. Declaring self-autonomy always comes with a generous cup of take it or leave it.
In the summer of 2022, I experienced a fundamental change. Reading The Radical Vision of Edward Burne-Jones finally gave me the clarity and purpose I had been searching for.
Over the last few months, the music of one of my artist-heroes, Kate Bush, has been in the zeitgeist. Her song, Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God), from her classic album, Hounds Of Love, has had a massive resurgence and been introduced to a whole new generation of fans thanks to the show Stranger Things.