GALO: It has been said that when you are drawing in your sleep, you do not react to your name being called – you’re in a trance.

LH: Yes, it does seem that I am in a trance, and according to the Edinburgh Sleep Clinic, they also believe that could be the case. I have no recollection to my name being called out or anything from my surroundings.

GALO: The Edinburgh Sleep Clinic was and is amazed by your unique ability to draw during your sleep. Furthermore, scientific proof has yet to be discovered of why this occurs. Do you have any theories of your own on this matter?

LH: I recently finished filming for a program for Fuji TV in Japan and after tests over several weeks, it does seem that my mind is asleep; however, my body is not. I believe we all have hidden talents, and that sleep is a time of communication with the spirit World or the Universe, so I am still searching for answers.

GALO: Have there been any new hypotheses provided by scientists in the recent months?

LH: Like I said with the program which I have just done for Fuji TV, they have come up with some interesting test results, so I am looking forward to finding out more in this area.

GALO: Do your drawing episodes occur on a nightly basis? Or is it more sporadic? What circumstances do you think bring these episodes on — it has been said previously that alcohol and sleep deprivation are sometimes a factor?

LH: My drawing episodes are very sporadic. Sometimes I may get up in the middle of the night and draw for around 15 minutes and then a couple of nights later for 30 minutes, then I may go a few weeks without drawing anything. I have gone for periods of three months, and even two years, without producing a single drawing. I have kept a diary over several years and it does seem that alcohol brings on the drawing episodes — not all the time, but quite a few.

GALO: How long does a drawing episode usually last for you in terms of time? What happens when it ends?

LH: The time line varies. It can be just two minutes to forty minutes. On average, I would say 15 to 20 minutes, however, I tend to draw with great speed.

GALO: Do you have a favorite place that you tend to draw in?

LH: Not really. I just tend to get up and start drawing; it doesn’t really seem to matter where I am.

GALO: Many of your drawings have come from real life experiences. Which one has had a substantial impact on you and your drawings?

LH: I did a painting in black and white at a party I was attending around six years ago (Abyss). I got up in the middle of the night and got some old chicken bones from the BBQ we had during the evening, and started drawing with them on a new wall at the people’s house I was staying in for the night. They were kind enough to cut the plaster board off and it is now mounted on my wall. I believe it represents the planets of the universe.

GALO: Do your drawings ever correlate with one another thematically or as a continuous sketch?

LH: It’s a hard question [to answer]. I believe some of my works are part of another piece, especially the numbers and symbols I sometimes draw.

GALO: After a drawing episode, how do you feel the next day?

LH: After drawing the following morning, as soon as I open my eyes, my thought process changes and I normally get a migraine for around four to five hours, which will not pass until I have vomited; this is followed by a craving for food.

GALO: Do you wish you could draw during the day – have you considered taking art courses?

LH: If you had asked me this question a few years ago, the answer would have been “no” and “no” as I had no interest in the art world, so to speak. However, over the last few years, I have become a lot more involved in the art world. Maybe this has been due to all the publicity and support I have received over the last 10 years in the public eye. I would love to be able to draw in my waking life. I find it fascinating how someone can produce something amazing by just using a pencil or paint from nothing. I have looked at art classes, but it’s not a road I wish to go down. I do what I do and that’s why I produce what I produce. I will leave the art classes to the professionals!

GALO: Though you have color palettes and crayons at your disposal at night, you tend to go for the sketchpad and pencil most of the time. Do you have a theory on why you might be choosing this method of artistic expression?

LH: I may have answered part of this earlier on. It has only been in the last couple of years that I have started using color. Although I would leave color materials out, I never seemed to use them. I always seemed to draw in black and white. I am not sure why I am now using color.

GALO: Your Marilyn Monroe portrait has garnered a lot of media attention. Why do you think you drew her? Do you admire her?

LH: Yes, the famous Marilyn Monroe one! I am not sure why I drew her. Maybe it was the whole Marilyn Monroe frenzy that was going on in the 80s; however, as I said earlier, I do believe one of them is Kim Wilde.

GALO: You’ve been given the nickname “Kipasso.” How did this nickname come about and do you feel it is an accurate description of who you are?

LH: Ah…”Kipasso.” Yes, this name came into existence thanks to a reporter from the newspaper, The Sun. They did a full page spread on me in 2007 and nicknamed me Kipasso! It was Picasso asleep, hence Kip-asso. No, I don’t mind the name; however, I am no Picasso — well not yet!

GALO: Do you consider yourself an artist?

LH: I never used to consider myself an artist, but now, yes, I do! I never did in the past as I got a lot of critics in the art world knocking me and telling me what I produced was rubbish and not art (although I never once claimed to be an artist). So, after the amazing support from other artists and gallery owners, along with the public around the world, I thought what art is; [what it is] in the eye of the beholder. And, after all, my pieces now go for many thousands of pounds, so I don’t have much time for critical people, and that’s in everyday life — not just the art world!

GALO: What is by far your favorite drawing that you have sketched and why?

LH: I have a couple of favorite drawings. I do have to say Abyss is the one, though, due to what it represents to me [personally] and how it was done at the BBQ.

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