As a painter I have been strongly influenced by my experiences of travel abroad, in particular the Middle East and Japan. In the summer of 1998 I travelled to the Far East as part of the Alexander Graham Munro Travel Award, received from the RSW.

Through this Award, I was given the opportunity to travel from London to Tokyo, where I stayed for the first week of my trip. I stayed in a small Ryokan in the north of the city and travelled through the city photographing elements of the historical and contemporary Tokyo. From Tokyo I travelled to the national park of Hakone 90 kilometres to the south. Hakone lies in the shadow of Mount Fuji, and is an area of great natural beauty, surrounded by mountains and hot springs. I spent two days in another traditional Ryokan in the small town of Hakone, then travelled on by train to Kyoto with its abundance of Temples and cultural heritage. The final city I visited was Osaka, relatively close to Kyoto, but very different. Osaka is a very vibrant and hectic city with a bustling social scene. In all I spent just under two weeks in Japan, travelling by train from Tokyo, south to Osaka and then flying out from Kansai Airport.

The opportunity to travel to Japan has had a profound influence on the work that I create. The ideas of Ritual, Heritage and a completely different perspective to visual language have influenced the work that I myself produce. One thing in particular has influenced my work, that is the food that I saw, and ate during my time there. The preparation of the food and its presentation has found itself in many of my paintings that I have produced since my return.

Since the Alexander Graham Munro Travel Award, and the influence it has had on my work, I have enjoyed success in exhibiting my work. Upon my return I was preparing for a one-man show at the Kelly Gallery in Glasgow as a result of winning the RGI Exhibition Award. The RSW award gave me a great creative input, which greatly helped to make the particular show a success.

The travel award has had a very positive influence on my development as an artist, and has helped to shape the way in which I paint. The information that I gathered, and the memories that remain will always have an influence on the work that I create.