It was lovely to learn that one of my paintings has been shortlisted for the Sir John Hurt Art Prize 2020, run by the Holt Festival.

“Washing in the Crew Yard” is one of a series of works I completed during lockdown, where I was seeking compositions at home to substitute for my usual landscape settings. In part I was exploring a hierarchy of marks to be made when recording moments in time – the results were very personal, intimate glimpses of my immediate environment.

The painting will be part of the shortlist exhibition in a Covid-secure garden setting near Thurning in Norfolk on 26-27 September – it will be open to the public for timed visits (that are free but must be booked via the Holt Festival website).