Down by the Sea Painting

In 2022 the gift of a Leica camera changed my life. Photography has always been a passion. My father and I had a difficult relationship due to his alcoholism and it took him way too young. The only time we truly connected was when he taught me the technicalities of photography. That was way back in the 1970's when I was 14 years old. I learned on a rangefinder, I took so many wrong turns in life, but photography was always a constant. I have a large archive, around 30,000 photographs. So it turned out that despite our estranged relationship, my father gave me a healthy addiction. In 2022, my camera broke. I announced it on Instagram and the following morning the amazing artist and Turner Prize Winner, Lubaina Himid sent a Direct Message saying she'd like to buy me a new camera for a sum of money I couldn't even dream of. I burst into tears. Good tears. Lubaina's generosity and support has been life-changing. I have finally stopped, what for me was an unhealthy and torturous addiction to painting. The respect I have for painters is huge but thankfully now I have every reason possible to focus on my first love.