Lorraine Rubio interviews painter Gillian Ayres on the occasion of an upcoming exhibition at Alan Cristea Gallery, London, on view from April 16 – May 30, 2015.

Ayres comments: "There are many artists whose work I admire—Miro and Picasso especially—but really too many to list. Ultimately though, although I may admire an artists’ work, theirs doesn’t directly influence my own. I live and work surrounded by nature, and, in some way I suppose, that filters into the work, although not in a figurative way. The paintings are not a direct response to any particular moment or subject, and I don’t expect people to all have the same feeling when looking at them. Like looking at art, what inspires one is very personal, and sometimes one doesn’t know or doesn’t want to reveal where it comes from."