I wander to find subject matter. Painting starts with a walk. Walking is suitably slow: bicycles or cars speed you to your destination too efficiently. The walk might be pre-organised and follow a set route; I may have done some research and have notes and a map with me. More likely the walk is more like a meander, a stroll with some purpose and the subject matter of the painting is something discovered en route.
The painting is assembled in the studio where there are preparatory drawings and false starts. I tend to work on several paintings at once moving them on and off a high work table. I stand to paint. Some things I keep the same: the paper for instance, stretched on a board with a clear edge ruled at the sides. Other aspects of painting I change so often that I really do not have any set way of getting from the beginning to the end of a painting. Watercolour paintings disclose the history of their own making, the uncertainties, corrections and serendipities.
The painting is of a market in the south eastern corner of Crete. Markets often feature temporary stalls, basic forms of architecture. This one was surrounded by a cafe with a scattering of chairs and tables. The Greek labels made for a special display.