In the early '90s, Hirst embarked on a style he had created whilst at Exeter, a style he refers to as his Surreal Townscapes. Although many are based on real places, they have a surreal quality with inspiration coming from memory, dreams, & the influence of artists such as Hopper & Lowry. Hirst comments, "I like to look up at buildings above the ground or first floor, trying to imagine the story that goes on behind shuttered windows & lace curtains. I try to capture those moments in life -- a lonely face at a window, a single light bulb hanging down unshaded, the flicker of a TV set. Everything around us is so interesting... You just have to look a bit more closely. In these works, I have gone from the realism of the Wet Streets to something more fluid & deeper, with a touch of humour & pathos."