My formal art school training taught me that art was exclusive, expensive and had something to say. However, as a teacher, I would like to think art can be accessible to everyone. Unlike my student days in which the large, grand gesture was important, I now favour small, intimate pieces which can sit comfortably in the home. I hope that art can provide alternative ways of seeing the ordinary world. This might be the beauty of contrasting colours, the texture of the surface or how materials interact with each other. I find that landscapes and still-life objects are ideal vehicles for this but the subject always remains subservient to the visual effects. I allow the medium to lead for much of this process and conscious aesthetic decision making kicks in at a later stage.