"My very first oil painting at the age of 11 was of a beech wood in autumn, and I have been painting landscapes on and off ever since. When I lived in Tokyo I used to love to throw my oil painting kit and a few canvasses into the car and drive off into the country looking for an old farmhouse or Shinto shrine to paint.

"Although the subject matter for these paintings is closer to hand, working en plein air always makes a welcome change to the familiar surroundings of the studio.