Chinwe Chukwuogo-Roy

"I love two flowers in particular, the hibiscus and the poppy, beautiful blooms that die very quickly. For me they reflect the beauty and transience of life."

"I have always liked looking at people and trying to capture what I see so this was a huge challenge for me. I do try and take my paintings to an optimistic or celebratory level, wherever they start. Taking the positive elevates, and there are many positives to see if we really look."

"Art was around us all the time, on walls, shops signs, in masquerades. I was always drawing or making things out of broken bits of wood and on my way home from school I used to paint signs for the small businesses, like barbers who wanted the different styles they did to be on show."

"I was working as a freelance graphic artist but got married and had two children – meeting deadlines became very difficult. I was always drawing my sons and people asked me to do their children. I soon saw it was a way of earning money."

"Colours and light have always been a main source of inspiration for me and people and flowers (poppies and hibiscuses) have been the vehicle from which I derive my inspiration. The play of light on colour can be seen in almost anything but every now and then a particular glow from a particular light angle strikes at the primordial in us. For me, this is red and the many related pigment created by the action of the light through it. An example of this can be seen when light shines through whisky. I am interested in people’s history and would like to incorporate that in some way in my work, maybe through the relationship between the staff, owners and the produce."