‘Sluice Room’ oil on canvas board “18 x 9”

I have chosen this work as a key work because I feel it is the best of a long series of drawings and paintings in which I worked with a theme that came out of my years of struggle and my place of work in the Royal Victoria Hospital. While carrying out my duties as a Medical Artist I became aware of the large body of staff that a hospital needs to function properly, not just doctors, nurses and other medically trained professionals but every day jobs like porters, plumbers, electricians, clerical staff and cleaners. I decided that a study of some of these ‘behind the scenes’ people might produce some work following in the footsteps of artists that I enjoyed from the past. Consequently, having looked at Daumier, Millet and Degas all active in 19th century France I managed to develop many good drawings into even better paintings and at the same time made very good use of my 5 day week in the work environment. Many artists believe that to be a professional artist means to devote all your working life to your own studio practice but I discovered that I could follow both paths as a Medical illustrator and as a professional artist in the same working environment. In fact both disciplines mixed very well and enriched my pictorial language and ideas to really make this period one of great progress.