Nature versus nurture has been debated since the dawn of intellectual thought. Put simply, it is concerned with whether a person is a product of their genes or their upbringing. Personally, i find it hard to take a side, finding the middle ground as more likely. But what, you may well ask, has this got to do with my art?

I paint because of who i am. I have always painted, ever since i was a kid. In fact, i have been drawing and painting since before i can remember. Which makes a clear-cut case for 'nature' and does not bode well for my 'middle ground' theory. Happily, i do not end there. I do not just paint. I engage with society too.

Nurture has shaped me into the kind of person i am today. Nurture through the form of family, friends and, ultimately, society. It has shaped how i think and what i do. More relevantly, it has shaped what i choose to paint. Actually that's not true. That was me.

A number of years ago, i made a conscious decision to begin painting what i liked about society. I chose the parts of it that i found enjoyment in, namely music and film and, occasionally, the parts of it that bring hope. In effect, i was holding a mirror up to society, reflecting back the parts of it that made me me.

Which explains the subject matter, but it does not explain the method.

All artwork is an attempt to communicate an idea. Using all manner of means, it often seeks to communicate a single thought, a single idea. In my case, i often try to communicate the idea of, essentially, a person. And this is no easy task. A person is a complex multi-dimensional entity. In a work in two dimensions, how can one represent, for example, charisma?

I do not believe that such a complex idea can be communicated honestly through art. However, i do believe that a facsimile of that idea can be communicated. This facsimile will be, naturally and quite clearly, a product of the artist.

In working in this over-simplified style, i am being honest. I am in effect showing that this is my idea of this person. That this is a two-dimensional representation of my idea. It is not the actual idea; it is not the actual person. It is not even trying to be that.

These are my paintings. I paint them because i am an artist and they are my shallow reflection of our shallow society.