The truth of the new is never on the news

Why did you wake up this morning feeling so anxious?
Ah. I feel I'm not getting enough done in my work. Not making enough in-roads.
How much is that to do with the fact you've just finished a large piece?
Probably quite a lot actually.
What is that you are doing?
I'm trying out a very, very small picture to see if it will work. (An aside) I seem to be getting smaller and smaller rather than bigger and bigger, which would be good but no one's going to be interested anyway.
What is it with you and detail?
I think it's all the children's stories I liked when I was little. Stories like this guy (pointing to the E.H. Shephard Decorations in the A.A. Milne book Now We Are Six picked up in a second-hand bookshop), or Milly, Molly, Mandy, Arthur Rackham, or illustrated Hans Christian Anderson books.
Do you think this love of detail is made all the more interesting with your conceptual background?
You can't ... it makes me more aware of the whole package ... I don't really want to explain myself ... (head bowed and working) ... in a way most art is conceptual ... you start with an idea ... I don't know ... actually, I don't really give a toss ... except I feel quite convinced by this piece ... though I might not tomorrow ... anyway, I'm experimenting.
What do you think it's like for someone to be married to an artist?
Probably horrible. But maybe it's quite good because if you have your own thing going on like I do then you're less likely to try and control the other person. But it's good for everyone to have expression.
What is going through your mind as you work?
Just doing the drawing. Trying to get the drawing right. (a smile) This seems to be working at last. (serious again) But you never know.