KERRY RAWLINSON

When did you first become interested in art?

I've always been a doodler. At nine years old I received the notation of 'Highly Commended' and a wristwatch in a drawing contest, which cemented the addiction.

How did you get to where you are today in your practice?

Work, effort, effort, work... and following the practice and inspiration of other artists. My career was as an architectural technologist, so that was a disciplined cousin.

What has been the most challenging aspect of your art career?

Trying to make something of it so late in life. I wish I'd been able to start young and I wish there were no such thing as ageism.

Where do you find inspiration?

Honestly--in everything I see around me. The smallest things intrigue me.

Which artist do you look up to? Any artists you're loving at the moment?

Salvador Dali. Crazy like a fox. Kandinski... too many to name. Lately, I'm loving Mark Bradford's knack for the transformation of discarded scraps into beautiful, holistic images. But again... too many wonderful creatives to name.

What's one thing people should know about you?

I wanted to be a ballerina. The Royal School of ballet wanted to take me from Zambia to study in the UK, but my parents refused--ostensibly because I was "too young". About a year later, they sent me to boarding school in South Africa, without ballet.

KERRY RAWLINSON