As a painter in the South of France, you rarely feel alone. There are reminders everywhere of those who have gone before – of Cézanne in the countryside around Aix and of Gauguin and Van Gogh in Arles and Saint-Rémy. But not all these impressions are specific to a place. …

I’ve been thinking a lot about Uzès recently – walking, looking, taking photographs and looking at photographs. But there’s been more time spent staring at canvases on which I’ve tried to capture something of the essence of the town. From my studio I can see the Duché, the cathedral and …

The south is a world of light. Luminescent brightness is the first, clearest and most lasting impression it makes when you arrive, and its absence is what hits you when you go back north. For a painter, the challenge is somehow to evoke this world using colours and canvas. It’s …