Hi Graham and thanks for this. It’s a really interesting dilemma you pose and I don’t think there’s a single straightforward answer, but happy to give my take! When I first picked up my brushes again I started off trying to emulate the work of painters that I really admired. These were quite wide ranging but in particular Hilder, Joh Yardley, Edwards Wesson and Seago were all major influences. I saw this period as akin to serving my apprenticeship – learning the skills and techniques of these amazing artists as best I could. Only after doing this for ages (years!) did I gradually begin to find and develop more of my own voice and approach – all the while picking up ideas, influences and approaches from other artists (the likes of Joseph Zbukvic and Alvaro Castagnet come to mind at this point). And I still think this process is ongoing but out of it, my own personal take and interpretation of subjects is coming through more and more strongly. I hope that this is of some help. I don’t think there are many shortcuts to take in this journey – be patient, be prepared to fail a lot and just try to enjoy it as much as possible!