From 2011 – 2012 I had a studio at the Bluecoat in Liverpool. I had been feeling like my work was becoming lethargic and predictable. So, in a bid to shake things up, over two days in November 2011 I produced around 100 drawings. I wanted to breathe some life, energy and pace into my practice and try a more gestural approach. I found myself looking at the bare branches swaying in the wind and the late afternoon shadows of trees on the wall opposite my studio and wondered if there wasn’t some way I could use this movement and line in my work. I had a stack of large watercolour, print and heavy-duty cartridge paper which I simply worked my way through using ink, gouache, diluted acrylic paint and large brushes. It was a liberating exercise and as the stack of paper dwindled I found myself becoming increasingly fluent and rhythmic. While I have not repeated this particular process, it gave me the confidence to try new ways of working and not be so precious – to get in, get out, move on. Now, back to ‘slow’ painting…