'When I was at college, I went out with a girl whose parents lived in Eastbourne, and it was the start of a long relationship I've had with the area. I've always liked it, especially the combination of the Downs and the sea. I like Eastbourne because it has never really seemed like it was in danger of becoming fashionable. It has always had the reputation as "God's waiting room" because of the large number of older people who choose to live there. It has Brighton on one side and Hastings on the other, and they draw the fire.
'I was about 20 when I first started coming to the area, and one of the things I remember was this pristine 1950s green and cream tiled fish and chip shop, which has sadly now been revamped. I liked the institutional austerity of the place. I think the seafront is owned by one estate, and they don't allow much commercial development, so it still retains its genteel quality.
'The Downs are reflected in the works of some of my favourite artists, like Eric Ravilious and Paul Nash. It is very graphic countryside, very bare. But it also feels soft — you could go for a hike on the Downs in your slippers. We've got a place fairly close to Eastbourne and I've walked the five miles into town in flip-flops.
'My wife wanted somewhere near the sea and I wanted somewhere to go mountain biking, so a place near Eastbourne was perfect. We go every weekend during the summer, and I go out on my bike, go for long walks and eat well. I have a studio down there, but I'm not inspired by the countryside at all. For me, the countryside is like a lovely warm bath to relax in. I'm not about to become a nature artist.
'I've yet to find a restaurant that really makes me think "this is great". In a way, I like that because it means it won't become inundated with metropolitan foodies, in the way that somewhere like Padstow has. The Towner contemporary art gallery in Eastbourne is very good though and the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill, built in 1935, is beautiful.
'I like Charleston, a house near Lewes, where the Bloomsbury Group hung out in the 20s and 30s, and where painters Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant lived, which is beautiful to look around. It's a shrine to British middle-class good taste in an arty, bohemian way.'
