I loved every bit of this exhibition. It’s not so big but shows a good representation of Diebenkorn’s work – abstract, figurative, some of the ocean series, alberquerquie series, drawings.

I don’t know much about his life but painting in the 50s must have been around the time of Jack Kerouac etc

(Growing up in South Yorkshire was as far away as you could be from California, Kerouac and the dharma bums, but I felt had such a strong affinity – I was finding out what I wanted to be…. The best thing I could do in the circumstances was a lot of hitch hiking around the UK and Europe, briefly converting to Buddhism.)

Diebenkorn’s colours are amazing – cool with very thin layers of paint as in the ocean series, under painted with cream, greys. I bought a poster of this from Moma on my first work trip to New York. It hung in our house in Peckham, my small daughter called it the garage.

Or his colours are vibrant. Marks are subtle and very pleasing.

As well as influences from Matisse in the way the paint is applied I think there is a sense of Hopper. The rooms, a sense of desolation, flatness, this is how it is.