I left my heart in San Francisco, but my flip-flops belong to Santorini. Impossibly beautiful, I just had to paint the island rumoured to be the remains of Atlantis. While Britain rioted away the summer of 2011, I was searching this stunning part of Greece for the ultimate scene to render in oils when I got home. As the sun sets in Oia, the tourists actually applaud as the light winks out beneath the horizon and darkness drops like a brick. As the crowd pushed me back towards the coach, I managed to stop and capture this church in the dying light. It was a random phone snap, but I knew it was The One. I’ve tried to steal one of the most beautiful moments of my life and lock the light and colour of Santorini into this painting.