ABOUT ME
I was born and raised in Scotland, and although I have not lived there for some years, I maintain a strong affinity with the land of my forefathers. I love walking and working outside in the field, and find myself continually drawn back to the highlands, particularly the west coast where as a teenager I spent many happy days sailing between the islands and exploring the coastline. I love to observe wildlife and collect shells and interesting natural objects from the shoreline.
I also like to make sketches in the field and take photographs as reference to remind me of what it felt like to be there. Our lives revolve around the vagaries of the British climate and Scotland in particular is noted for its variability. In the Western Isles it can be quite extreme, often with sudden changes, creating unexpected light effects and visual excitement. To this day, I continue to walk and observe the landscape, close to home, in Scotland and further afield, drinking in the atmosphere and absorbing the sights, smells and sounds of different places. These experiences inevitably find their way into my paintings and prints, whether consciously or otherwise.
Whilst my practice often involves location work, I also make working sketches in the studio from my container collection, or from memory, using my imagination to develop an image. I also like to make small print patterns from home-made stamps and stencils before developing my ideas and designs into paintings. This is usually how I begin my collages and still-life projects.
Having started with drawings of a ceramic jug or vase, and a few ideas about colour and pattern, the work gradually evolves as I experiment and try out different configurations and possibilities until I am satisfied with the final composition. I really enjoy this process because I am never quite sure how a painting will turn out. I enjoy the excitement of ‘not knowing’ as I push the painting, adding or subtracting elements along the way until I work it to a conclusion. If it becomes a struggle, and I’m not sure what a painting needs next, I will leave it for a few days until I feel ready to return to it with a fresh eye. I often have several paintings on the go at the same time. This allows me to turn one or two to the wall whilst I focus on progressing other work. I can then return to those which presented more of a challenge with renewed energy and a clearer sense of how to develop them further to a satisfactory conclusion.
