Cold Mountain

Inlet with Boats

Artists Statement

My paintings arise from things seen when walking - in different locations and across different terrain. Among my favourite places is the west coast of Scotland and the Islands – anywhere marginal but with some reference to human use or habitation, recent or in the distant past.

A particular image or idea will be in my mind when making preparatory drawings and starting a painting. I then become preoccupied with the process - layering, scraping and brushing pigment on to a surface. Eventually the painting has to satisfy all aspects - it must make reference to the original 'thing seen' but must also be making its own way into the world – as a formal composition of shape, pattern and colour.

As a visual artist, my immediate surroundings are important and I have enjoyed setting up a new studio in the Dumfriesshire hills this year. I work in series and my paintings and mixed media are usually the result of an evolving process which begins with a walk, often in a remote place, but with references to human use and habitation, both recently and in the past. I am currently exploring new ways of working and experimenting with a multi-layered approach to exhibiting.

Islay: Clearing from the West

Jura: Stone and Flags