I was always somebody who needed to express themselves through creativity. So I was creating things from very early on. It was my way of escaping.

And how did that lead to a stint on television?

I was working in a restaurant called "The American Connection" in Talbot Street, and there was a guy who used to clear the tables called Declan Lowney. He used to tell me that he was going to be a director of TV some day, and that he'd love me to be on his show. I was, like, "dream on", but, fair enough, eight years later, out of the blue your man himself rang me and said "look, I'm doing two things . . . one is a show called Father Ted, and we're looking for a black guy to play a priest, and the other is this music show for RTE". So I told him that I'd be up for it.

He was the director behind "Megamix", so I did that with Flo McSweeney on RTE . . .and that led to some TV work in the UK on a show called "The Roxy", which was a replacement for "The Tube".

And do you look back on your time with fondness?

I'm glad I did it, because it was only then that I realised that I didn't want to do it anymore. But I painted throughout my career, and by doing TV I realised that I preferred a back seat . . . less about the show-off element, and more about creativity.

Speaking about TV , though. . . do you regret doing "Celebrity Farm" (a short Irish reality series from which few emerged unscathed)?

I'm a great believer that you should have no regrets in life . . . only lessons well learned. And that was one hell of a lesson.

But I used to love reality TV when it was relatively new and interesting, so it was inevitable that I would be attracted to something like that . . . and I don't regret it.

And did it help to bring you to the attention of people as Kevin Sharkey - the artist?

Truthfully, yes. Because, prior to that, a lot of people would have thought "oh, there's the guy who used to be on RTE", and a lot of people wouldn't have realised that I had been painting for a lot longer.

So describe your style.

Expressive, strong, vibrant colourful, energetic. I'd say somewhere between Salvador Dali and Rolf Harris.

When you're growing up in Donegal, there wasn't much on TV by way of art. People can mock Rolf Harris, but Tony Hart and he were the only real escape I had into art as a kid, and it did open me up to being creative. And, of the dead guys, people like Picasso and Dali were interesting, because they played with people's perceptions and made people think about what was and wasn't art.

And now you have your own gallery. . .

I have three. I'm the only artist in history to have three galleries exclusively featuring his work.

And are you pleased at where you are at commercially?

I've never been happier or more fulfilled. I feel incredibly honoured to be a relatively young guy who has a bit of credit, a pat on the back, and some commercial success (one of Kevin's paintings recently sold for 20,000).