Profile

I was a free-range child brought up in Lossiemouth on the north-east coast of Scotland, free to play on the beaches and roam in the woods near my gran’s. At home I was immersed in the colours and textures of my mother’s craftwork – there was always knitting on the table – and my father’s passion for traditional folk ballads evoked a moving landscape in my mind. From as early as I can remember, I loved drawing; I might have forgotten to have breakfast or put on my shoes, but I never ventured anywhere without a pack of crayons and scraps of paper. Paddling in rock pools, building forest dens and getting stuck on trees introduced me to the local wildlife; limpets and hermit crabs, shrews and rabbits, sparrows and crows, red deer and squirrel.

My work

Whenever I read words, an image comes to mind; yet images offer a glimpse of what can’t be expressed in words. I admire how early Renaissance artists painted to tell stories, often drawn from classical Greek and Roman myths or Biblical tales: I like drawing to capture atmosphere, using colour to pull you in, and then appreciate detail and texture.In Aesop’s fables, in Native American beliefs, in the Aboriginal Dreaming, in all cultures, people have projected human qualities upon animals.

Drawing animals give an immediate connection to a preconceived image that the artist can develop into a character and portray life experience common to us all. And I am fascinated by how people relate to images, developing stories of their own.

I hope you enjoy my website.

Curriculum Vitae