Salsa

I love Mexican food. My wife does too. What I love about it is its energy. The colors, the boldness, the way it hits you. Mexican culture doesn't do things quietly, and neither does Mexican food. Most of our most enjoyable nights out for dinner have been in Mexican restaurants.

That's what I wanted to capture in this painting. Not just the ingredients, but the energy. Look at those reds, greens and oranges, the warm, savoury background, the old board with the blue stain running through it. There's nothing subtle about any of it, and that was deliberate.

I don't make salsa all that often, but when I do I hand chop most of it. The garlic goes in the mortar and pestle, maybe the coriander or a bit of cracked pepper, and a squeeze of lime. It's a simple thing, but done properly it's also a pleasure.

Everything in this painting earns its place: the ingredients, the old board, the mortar and pestle sitting there ready to work. It would be a very cool painting to have in an already colourful kitchen.