One of the first paintings I ever did in Canada back in 2007 was ‘Time to leave’. It was based on one of the last paintings I created in the the UK, which I called ‘The Pod’. Between you and me, I have a strange fascination with pods; them bursting open to release their seeds or spores. I’m sure Freud would have something to say about that! Don’t judge me…

‘Time to leave’ embodies that knowing we all have from time to time; that you just have to leave, move on, or change. In my case it was moving from the UK to Canada. A big leap, but an opportunity that couldn’t be missed. The ‘pod’ had indeed ripened me up and it was time to venture forth.

I displayed ‘Time to Leave’ way back in 2011 at Gallery 1313 in Toronto, as part of the Beyond Our Roots Visual Arts exhibition. You can see me there below, looking a little leaner and quite chuffed. It was my first time exhibiting, and being amongst the other participating artists and visitors gave me a real buzz.

This year I decided to create another version of ‘Time To Leave’. Big changes are coming our way again and I felt a real need to record this upcoming event in a painting. This time the pods contain fuller, plumper seeds, which in a way reflect how I have grown so much in experience over the last 12 years.