It’s about this time of the year when, even in a 35 degrees summer day in Australia, my inner Scotsman starts to bubble to the surface. As Hogmanay approaches I start getting all maudlin and nostalgic, and saying “aye” a lot instead of “yeah”. I used to love the Daft Days, that period between Christmas … More The Daft Days
In February I’m starting a painting project that I hope will help me unpack my sense of identity as a migrant to Australia from Scotland. This year-long project comprises a two-month period of immersive painting and solo wild camping across two landscapes that have shaped my identity: one month in the Scottish Highlands where I … More Landscapes of Belonging
Originally, I titled this post My Art Journey, but I always feel titles beginning with My have a whiff of the sort of book you might write in prison after a failed coup in Munich. So, it’s just An Art Journey. One among so many others. I’m writing it for two reasons: people keep asking … More An Art Journey S1 Ep1
This small sketch is from a biking tour back in 1997. From memory this was the best weather we had in two weeks of cycling. Midsummer in Scotland. I’m standing on the east coast of Skye looking back at the Scottish mainland across Loch Hourn. Big drops of rain find their way into the acrylic, … More Isle Ornsay
A small painting made in Scotland back just before I moved to Australia. I loved the way the reflections in the water were brighter than the sky and I felt as though I was floating above the sky, looking down on it. There are a few paintings over the years that I would never sell since memories … More Brig o’ Turk
I grew up in Fife in Scotland. It’s a region of two halves: in the north, arable farming, golf and a university made famous by recent royals; in the south, the ghosts of coal mining, fishing and ship building. Methil no more, as the Proclaimers remind us. In Margaret Thatcher’s 80’s I worked with kids … More Fife
art about place 