I am a contemporary Scottish artist. I find painting a time of meditation, and a welcome antidote to the busy lives which we tend to lead. Painting allows me to spend time really enjoying the environment and the outdoors. Depicting empty remote beaches and mountains gives me an opportunity to gain from these environments; whilst preserving their pristine nature.
My painting process can involve many steps. I often do underpaintings using random marks or (largely unplanned!) textured papers. I then enjoy creating order from this ‘chaos’ by rationalising the marks into the vision I have for the finished art work. I find the organisational process very calming and spiritual. Balancing which underpainting marks to keep, and which to cover, is key in my work. My earlier works had more realism and formal structure. I am finding that as I evolve as an artist I have a tendency towards more abstract mark making.
