Whilst visiting Singapore I was fortunate enough to be in town at the same time that the Singapore Museum of Modern Art were exhibiting Wu Guanzhong's best work. If it was not for this coincidence, I do not think I would have ever stumbled across this artist. I think that the surprise of finding something new that I instantly fell in love with, had a big effect on me. Seeing the exhibition was one of the highlights of a round the world trip (a trip that included much more obvious highlights).

On seeing Guanzhong's work for the first time I was taken by the subtle expressionism — and how well he gets across the a feeling of 'place' or 'character' with minimum effect. This combined with Guanzhog's technique of painting that includes strong colours and broad brush strokes also inspires me.

Although Adrian Shaughnessy is a graphic designer, having run his own studio and he has been behind lots of influential album covers, it is his writings that have had the most impact on me. 

As much as I enjoy the topics that Adrian writes about, I think that it is his concise delivery of thoughts and ideas that keeps me interested enough to swim through his essays. 

Cassocks by Wassily Kandinsky, 1910–11

This painting has been ever present in my life. My Grandparents have had it hanging on their sitting room wall ever since they visited a Kandinsky exhibition at the Tate Britian(long before the Tate Modern appeared)  and picked up a print of their favourite piece.

Being aware of, and admiring Kandinsky led me to become interested in the Bauhaus and the modern art movement at an early age, giving me a good grounding to my design education (which is still ongoing).

Grafik magazine, circa 2006

One of my tutors at university made me aware of the many design magazines stocked at the university library, and how I should be devouring them for inspiration and influence. This is how I discovered Grafik (and many others). I read magazines and design books regularly at the university library, and slowly I began to understand the level of workmanship that I needed to, and wanted achieve in my own work.