about the artist
I am a painter based in Central Scotland, working primarily in oils, but I also enjoy acrylic and watercolour.
I draw using traditional charcoal, chalk, and lump sanguine primarily as a way of constantly improving and grounding my painting practice.
My main interest is in capturing a personal emotional response; whether it’s to the atmosphere of the landscape or evoked by a piece of music, where I like to work intuitively to capture mood, rhythm and melody.
My influences are many and varied – from the atmospheric light of my artistic hero JMW Turner, whose work has been a huge inspiration since childhood, to the late colourfield work of Mark Rothko, and the raw Canadian landscapes of The Group of Seven. I am also influenced by the Ukiyo-e style of Japanese artists such as Hokusai and Hiroshige.
I have exhibited across the UK and my work generates interest from lovers of contemporary and traditional styles alike, which is something I am very passionate about. I like to challenge the boundary between traditional landscape and contemporary abstract painting.
I am one of the administrators on the annual drawing challenge 28 Drawings Later which takes place every February, where hundreds of participants at all levels form a vibrant creative community for one month of the year. I would encourage anyone to give it a go!
I have included a selection of internet links that inspire and influence me which I hope you will find interesting:
Turner at Tate
Mark Rothko at Tate
Alison Watt – Phantom
A selection of works by Wassily Kandinsky
The Group of Seven
Brian James Waugh – artist working in a pre-Raphaelite style
Nichol Wheatley – artist and tutor
Lynn Howarth – artist and tutor
Julie Arbuckle – artist
Peter Gillies – artist
Living in NZ – the photography of John Watt
TwistyFoldy.net – Photography by Michael Gallacher
The music of Marillion
The music of Steve Hackett
Claude Debussy
John Coltrane
Philip Glass
The five-piece series [REDACTED] was commissioned for the album of the same name by Also Eden
Wassily Kandinsky’s “Concerning the Spiritual in Art” (in public domain) : free eBook download