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
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
Grey Sky Thinking was created for Alan Reed‘s album of the same name.
Wassily Kandinsky’s “Concerning the Spiritual in Art” (in public domain) : free eBook download