I’m Paul Watson, and I’m an artist based in the south of the UK. I’m also the editor of Rituals & Declarations zine – well, at least until the final issue is published in the coming months. Both artwork and zines can be seen at https://shop.lazaruscorporation.co.uk/ and at http://www.lazaruscorporation.co.uk/

I can be found on both Twitter and Instagram

Where did you come from and where are you going?

I came from the industrial Midlands of England, and as a child/teenager watched it laid waste by Thatcher’s government. I’m currently living in the city of Brighton & Hove on the south coast. I have no idea where I’m going.

What preoccupies your mind these days?

Artistic block; the accelerating rise of authoritarianism and bigotry; putting together the final issue of Rituals & Declarations; climate emergency & the anthropocene; the dark gloom of winter days; acid communism and social anarchism; trying to get the hang of driving around roundabouts without swerving into the wrong lane.

Name a favourite taste, touch, sound, sight and smell.

Taste: the first sip of the evening’s second glass of wine

Touch: damp moss on tree bark

Sound: my pencil scratching away on a piece of paper

Sight: a piece of drawing paper that is no longer blank

Smell: a cliché, but the smell that comes from turning the pages of an old book

Describe one of your most vivid dreams or nightmares

This:

Have you ever had an uncanny experience?

I again refer the interviewer to my artwork, which I believe answers that question better than I can with words.

How does your sense of place affect the way you express yourself?

In my artwork place emerges personified as a human figure. I can point to some of the figures and tell you exactly which small area of which piece of the local landscape it has emerged from. I won’t, though.

What has particularly touched or inspired you recently?

Inspiration has been rather a problem of late, unfortunately. I did recently read Jon McGregor’s 2017 novel Reservoir 13 and was really impressed by it. I’m always ready for a new album from The Sisters of Mercy, though.

Tell us a good story, anecdote or joke.

I’m afraid that I’m no raconteur, and am not currently accepting invitations as an after dinner speaker.