In our series Behind the Scenes, artists answer questions about their creative process, philosophy, and more. This installment features Matt Jukes. See some of his work here. (Read our other exclusive interviews with artists here.)

What do you consume (art, music, books, film) to help fuel your work?

Music is a constant soundtrack to my life, effortlessly weaving itself into my memories of times and places. The first chimes of a track can give me a flashback, pulling back waves of emotion, and memories. This is why all of my pieces come with a lyric, a song, a sound of a memory.

How do you know when a work is finished?

There is always a clear moment when my work tells me that it is finished – when a memory is triggered, when the colours and shapes pull out a half-forgotten moment from the back of my brain, giving me a song, and in there I find a title for the piece.

How would you describe your subject matter or the content of your work?

All of my work is autobiographical, as I seek to capture the moments I have forgotten, I do this through the exploration of materials waiting for an emotion to present itself, which then gives my landscape a specific time and place, but I always keep these places secret as I hope that the viewer is able to share the same emotion, but find their own place.

Show us an image of your workspace.

This is an image of me with my beloved printing press, there really isn’t another press quite like it, it’s two hundred years old and wonderfully cantankerous. Over the years I have learnt every lump, bump and serendipitous nuance, to incorporate them into my practice.

Show us one of your favorite works of art.

These are the murals that Rothko did for the Seagram rooms, like every art student I studied these and from plates in books, and it left me cold. The printed reproductions of blurry squares had no meaning. However, on my first trip to the Tate Modern, I fell in love with them, because for the first time I saw that Rothko had painted pure emotion, building up layers and layers of oils and emotions until they dance before your eyes in the soft lighting in the room.

Show us an image that makes you feel at home.

Landskin always puts me at peace, it gives me a sense of quiet as mountains seam to become smaller and disappear into the distance. Showing me that even the biggest challenge is just a matter of perspective.

What will make you feel successful?

I feel most successful when a collector tells me the story about where my work takes them. As I want to know what memory and landscape the piece they chose conjures. I don’t know where their landscape is, but there is an intimacy in their willingness to share it.

How much of your work is accidental?

Almost all of my work is “accidental”, as I follow the flow of the ink, I hand over control to the printing press – never quite sure how much it will be taken off and how much ink will be put down. This beautiful serendipity means that every time I print, it is a new experience, and it surprises me every time.

Is it better for an artist to be an optimist or a pessimist?

You can only be an Optimist as an artist. You need to see the good in the mistakes, the delight in the happy accidents so you can move forward. As a monotype printer this is especially true, for I can’t paint over a corner, or rework an area I don’t like, I can only follow the path of the ink

In all honesty, what were the last 5 songs you listened to?

Music is always playing, some good and some very much guilty pleasures, But today’s playlist from spotify is pretty great.

1) Symphony for the auto industry - HeCTA

2) I’m an adult now - they Pursuit of happiness

3) Daddy I’m fine - Sinead O’Connor

4) Blinding lights - The Weekend

5) Pomendarde - The Underground Lovers

If you could have any artist, living or dead, paint a portrait of you, who would you choose?

I would love Vhils to do a portrait of me. He is a street artist who captures faces out of carved the layers of billboard advertising paper. He sketches faces of strangers he finds on the train, and allows enough space for their eyes to tell their own story,

If you could own the exclusive rights to any specific color, which would you choose (and why)? (i.e. Anish Kapoor owns Vantablack)

I would love to find and have exclusive rights to, the blue which mixes the luminosity of ultramarine blue and the gentle tender of Phthalocyanine blue to be able to capture that place between the sky and the sea.