Hew Locke was born in Edinburgh and moved with his family to British Guyana where he spent his formative years before returning to Britain. Much of his work portrays a fascination with the British Royal Family.

Hew Locke at recent solo show 'How Do You Want Me?' Photo by Pam Winfield, 2008

Which object or artwork has inspired you to innovate or have a great idea?

Many many objects have inspired me: a small miniature at the V&A of a mixed-race girl born to an East India Company official and an Indian woman; the Unicorn Tapestries in Paris and NY; the weapons, armour and Baroque mirrors at the Wallace Collection; and the Meissen and Chelsea group-composition porcelain pieces at the V&A museum, to name just a few.

Baroque mirrors. Photo by kind permission of the Trustees of the Wallace Collection

There is never some sort of 'eureka' moment when you see something and you suddenly start creating new work different to everything you have done before. Art isn't like that.

Which person has most inspired you?

Picasso. I first saw his work in one of my parents' books when I was nine years old in Guyana. When I was at art school in Falmouth I had a book of his lithographs almost on permanent loan from the library.

Four Enlaced Profiles, round/square plate, 1949. Empreinte originale: white earthenware, decorated with slips, glazed. © Picasso estate

Virtuoso drawing and composition, and quite tender work for such a macho guy. Alongside the misogyny, it is emotionally complex work charting the sexual life of a particular human being.

Which idea or invention are you most proud of?

I'm never satisfied with my own ideas, and I am always trying to improve them, or push them further.

Hew Locke at recent solo show 'How Do You Want Me?' Photo by Pam Winfield, 2008

Which innovation will have the most impact in the future?

I have no idea – who can guess what it will be? It could be digital technology. On the other hand someone may figure out something amazing to do with rubber bands.

The digital camera - an example of popular digital technology. © SXC

Tell us what you think. We would like you to use our simple Storymaker editing tool to tell us what you'd put in a museum of me. We will be selecting some of the most interesting examples and publishing them next to the expert’s views during MGM 2008.

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