Music is a huge source of inspiration for me. The lyrics are just as important as the music. It may be an album, a song or a single lyric that triggers a painting but it’s rarely an instrumental piece because the words matter. It’s the words that create pictures in the mind. Some of those ideas will develop into paintings but it doesn't mean that any obvious connection with the music will be seen in the resultant artwork. It’s enough that the music opens a creative doorway and inspires the art regardless of whether it relates directly to it’s trigger.

So whose music triggers the creative flow? First and foremost it's Ultravox and Midge Ure. Their music evokes memories, moods and emotions, takes me back to special places I love and even to places I've not been before. My muses! Then there are my other muses Queen, Freddie and Neil Diamond who inspire paintings, lift my spirits and keep me moving. Occasionally it's Leonard Cohen but it's not often any of the other music I enjoy and love unless by deliberate choice for a specific project.

This is the first in a series of wee blogs on the inspiration behind the creative flow. The blogs will encompass songs and albums that inspire, special places that inspire, issues I care about, projects and more besides.