African American literature, shaped by strong female voices of survival and talent, had a profound impact on me during my formative years. Alongside reading, I developed a deep love of soul and jazz. Anthropology also became an important influence — particularly the role of masks, ritual art, and textiles, and their impact on the Western art world. Spending a year working in rural Japan, followed by time in Hungary, taught me a great deal about how cultures view both themselves and each other. I’m drawn to the tactile quality of oil pastel — the smudging and scratching. It feels, in a way, like a more instinctive, “grown-up colouring.”