What does it mean to be artist-in-residence at Manchester airport?

It’s a three-year partnership and I will stage two exhibitions each year – in spring and autumn. Over the three years I will fly to six destinations on the airport’s direct route network. I’ll spend a month in each place and bring a collection of original paintings back to exhibit at the airport.

You’ve already painted in Hong Kong?

Yes. Cathay Pacific flew my wife and me out there and the airline helped transport 13 paintings home again. Hong Kong’s skyscrapers are so dramatic; I enjoyed playing with perspective and height. The views also get blue really quickly as it’s in the Intertropical Convergence Zone, so there’s lots of moisture in the air and you get some wonderfully hazy shapes in the distance.

What is your painting style?

I do most of my work in oil and I always paint on location, never in a studio. I work standing up, at arm’s length from the easel, which makes my work gestural and impressionistic. Do you have a favourite Hong Kong painting? There will always be one I try and hang on to from each trip, such as $10 Assorted Internal Organs. It captures the action around a food stall in Kowloon, one of the most densely populated spots on the planet.

Where will the paintings be shown?

In various places around the airport. The Hong Kong exhibition was staged in the large atrium, where arrivals from trains, trams and buses converge. It was an obvious first choice but we’ll find some more unusual spots. The Runway Visitor Park, which houses a Concorde, would be a wonderful backdrop.

Is your work for sale?

Yes – I’ve priced the Hong Kong collection between £1,700 and £3,000. Much of the work has already been bought by collectors. My wife is a photographer and she documented the trip, so there is also an exhibition booklet showing me at work and the finished pieces.

Are you painting around the airport?

Primarily this is about travel and destinations, but there will be a couple of paintings in each collection inspired by the airport. When Cathay Pacific celebrated the one-year anniversary of its Manchester-Hong Kong route, they treated passengers with cake and prizes. I was there to capture the atmosphere at check-in. Each exhibition will also have my own works from Manchester for local interest.

Can you paint airside?

No, I’m not allowed as oil paints are flammable, but I hope to paint from one of the car parks in Terminal One, which has a panoramic view of Terminal Two and one of the runways. You find a lot of planespotters up there.

Where’s next?

It’s looking like New York with Thomas Cook Airlines, which we may combine with Boston or Los Angeles and make it a longer trip. There’s talk of the Middle East after that, but it depends on the airlines’ support.

Any advice for amateur painters?

Take one or two afternoons in a trip to do sketching or a watercolour. Step off the tourist trail and digest the reality of the place. Cities can be quite alienating. Stopping to paint can give you ownership over a city.