Paul Karslake is a long way from the image of a tortured artist plagued by self-doubt. Jolly, friendly and brimming with enthusiasm, he combines an impressive creative talent with a keen worth ethic. He is seen here presenting a portrait to His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco of his late mother Princess Grace.

He grew up in Basildon, the younger brother of Jo Wood, Rolling Stone Ronnie's gorgeous estranged wife, and admits he doesn't really do all that tortured soul painter nonsense. 'I never sit there saying, 'oh darling, I'm just not inspired.' I'm at work at 8am every day bashing it out.' It's as if for Paul his art is a hobby, in the same way we may play football and visit PartyPoker.com. Of course if you enjoy something so much which is your career, you're bound to want to go to work every morning.

In town for Monaco's Top Marques supercar show - where he exhibited 30 canvases and presented Prince Albert with a portrait of his late mother Princess Grace - Paul, 50, is getting increasing demand to open a gallery on the Cote d'Azur with his agent Russell Singler, another no-nonsense EastEnder who runs Daventer Fine Art in London.

He's lived a charmed life, touring with brother-in-law Ronnie and the rest of the Rolling Stones, and his painting of Keith Richards was seen hanging at home by Johnny Depp, who used it as inspiration for his portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow in the massively successful Pirates of the Caribbean films.

Did Keith sit for him? 'You can't get him to sit still for five minutes,' says Paul with a grin, 'so I did it from my personal photo collection as I've known him for years. I get right into character when I'm painting. I was being Keith, cackling away, with the Rolling Stones playing in the background.'

Paul hasn't exploited his rock and roll connections, however, adding: 'I've not really had a showbizzy life. It's that respect thing, some people don't care but there's a line you don't cross. I'm not a greedy person.'

He trained as an architectural model maker with his father but couldn't stick with a career he found dull. 'It was mind numbingly boring so I got into art,' says Paul, who won his first prize 41 years ago. 'I've never done anything but paint pictures. It's like an obsessive curse, I am driven even if I don't feel like it. My father instilled a commercial part in my brain so I do office hours but sometimes I look at the clock in the studio and it's almost one in the morning.'
One recent commission came from a celebrity who asked me to paint all her personal stuff as a still life. Her pets, her favourite foods, even her new kittens, so my girly side came out!'

Other works can reach up to 150,000 euros include Jimi Hendrix, Mick Jagger, Audrey Hepburn, Peter Sellers and the wildlife of Tanzania's Serengeti. 'Hopefully, with my art you can immerse yourself in it,' he explains. 'There are always things you spot on a second or third look. The Jimi Hendrix has nude women in his eyes and there are giraffes reflected in the zebra's eyes. I adore painting wildlife and people's portraits, but I also like still life. It's very relaxing looking at a crumb on a piece of cheese, and it never says, 'Can I go to the toilet now?'

Following exhibitions in London, the Cote d'Azur is his next venture after an enjoyable road trip from London to Monaco driving 30 canvases in a VW van. 'Every year, my family and I drive through this area and along to Perpignan, Barcelona and Sitges. There is a feeling here of general relaxation, although it is becoming a bit more souped up, and I love it.'

His down-to-earth Essex attitude extends to the commercial side of art too. 'My most recent sale was Black Last Supper, it was a big piece, and it sold for £80,000,' he reveals. 'It was a lot of work and that is what you're paying for. If I had a napkin with Salvador Dali's signature, it means something. That's why the Rolling Stones get paid £25m for basically a working day. You are worth what someone is prepared to pay.

'Historically, art has never gone down in price, it's a good investment but that is the wrong reason to buy it. If I just wanted to make money, I'd have become a money broker like most of my mates. They are unhappy and hate their jobs but they have the Lamborghinis and the Bentleys. I once painted a picture for an old lady of her battered Thermos flask, which she loved. I couldn't charge her, I gave it to her but the payback came when I had an exhibition at the Royal Exchange a year later. A guy came up to me after buying my Peter Sellers picture for £14,000. I asked him how he knew about the show and he said: 'You painted a thermos for my mum.' It was karma.

'I love showing kids how to airbrush...and you can't do that if you are a money broker. They are the people who buy art because it softens their soul.'