I’d like to take you through the process of creating a new scene painting. Starting with this blog post, I’ll share my ideas and concepts, giving you an insight into how I conceive and develop a new work of art. Scene paintings are the most immersive pieces I create; I lose myself in them completely. They’re also the most challenging.

As you know, the two great themes of my Inner Worlds collection are legacy and escapism. In my new body of work, I intend to explore these themes further and seeing where they lead. The concept for a new artwork often begins in an abstract way. It might stem from a theme, a composition I want to experiment with, a sentence that inspires me, a feeling I’m trying to express, or even a dream or moment of déjà vu.

The idea for this new painting is inspired by the word sugarcoating. Sometimes, when we have to deliver a difficult truth, we soften it to make it easier to hear—sugar-coating it, like the sweet layer on a bitter pill. It helps us swallow and digest it more easily. Because my work is immersive, joyous and wondrous, I feel it lends itself well to tackling darker or more uncomfortable subjects, concealing them within my aesthetic. I believe this contrast wields real power.

The themes I want to confront include climate change, waste, landfill, and mass production. These are things we know are happening but prefer not to think about. During my student years I worked at Amazon, and I was horrified by the sheer volume of goods stockpiled and how effortlessly people could buy more online. I also worked in retail stores, where I witnessed the waste of endless unsold stock. This abundance, followed by inevitable disposal, makes me feel sick. Where does it all go?

Amazon Warehouse — *Amazon Fulfilment Centre*

One piece of imagery that continues to inspire me comes from Labyrinth, one of my favourite films. Near the end, Sarah (played by Jennifer Connelly) wakes in what appears to be her childhood bedroom, only to realise it’s a false room built from junk in the middle of a rubbish dump. This unsettling scene will likely inform the atmosphere of my painting.

Another influence is more personal. Recently, I photographed a mass stranding of starfish along the Kirkcaldy coastline. There were tens of thousands washed ashore, lifeless. It was heartbreaking to see, yet strangely beautiful: their curling bodies tangled together like autumn leaves. Experts explained that strong storm currents had lifted them from the seabed, especially during surges in sea level. The sight left me wondering about the ripple effects, both ecological and symbolic. The idea of being blown off course and left stranded is something I intend to weave into the artwork.

As part of my process, I also use AI to generate rough concepts. After discussing this project with ChatGPT—who I call Jarvis (Iron Man fans will understand). Jarvis and I explored incorporating AI robots and discarded technology into the scene. The vision is of a place that appears majestic and beautiful at first glance, but on closer inspection reveals a landscape of decay and mass-consumption waste, with strange characters living amongst the ruins.