HYDRO DAM, GIOSLA, UIG, ISLE OF LEWIS
I was born and brought up on the Island of Lewis and like many young people left the island as a teenager. At Glasgow School of Art in the mid seventies I was fortunate to be a student in the newly established, innovative Mixed Media department of the Fine Art faculty. After graduating and gaining a certificate in teaching I worked for several years as an Art teacher but taking a break for a year to teach English in Italy revived my interest in languages. Back in Glasgow where I found work as a Gaelic lecturer it was a revelation to discover that the language and culture of my Gaelic heritage was enjoying a huge revival in the city. The influence of my Gaelic roots has grown over time and relocating to the island in 2021 to devote more time to creative work has been incredibly rewarding.
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DEVELOPMENTS 2023 - 24
It was an honour to be chosen as judge for the Highland Art Prize awarded during Royal National Mod week in 2023 to David Greenhall a painter whose exquisite work is an inspiration. The event took place at the Briggait in Glasgow and was accepted in David's absence by Alex Ogilvie, a trustee of the London Gaelic Society and organiser of this now annual event. In 2023 I finally realised a long held ambition to finally set up a studio in the garden. In October a special guest came to have her portrait drawn. Heather Dewar is 'Fraoch', the artist from Islay who has starred for many years in her own BBC Alba series where she travels all over the Western Isles to talk to people in Gaelic and make a portrait of them. The long running series was brought to an elegant finish with a programme celebrating her life and work by commissioning three artists to draw, photograph or sculpt a portrait of her. You can find out more here: https://www.instagram.com/bbc.alba/reel/DEHvNxJMjnd/ and here https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0026frm/dealbh-fraoich-a-portrait-of-heather |
EN PLEIN AIR
Summer 2024 A series of A4 pastel studies of views from the garden to the shoreline.
Summer 2024 A series of A4 pastel studies of views from the garden to the shoreline.
WATERCOLOUR DIARY
2023-24 A daily (weather permitting!) walk around the village is the inspiration for this series of miniature watercolour paintings on A6 handmade paper.
2023-24 A daily (weather permitting!) walk around the village is the inspiration for this series of miniature watercolour paintings on A6 handmade paper.
WORKS IN PROGRESS
Mugdock Country Park in Milngavie on the outskirts of Glasgow is an oasis for city dwellers who need to get away from the hustle and bustle around them and enjoy the beauty of this place and be inspired by the numerous interesting historical sites located here. The park is where walkers begin their 96 mile trek to Fort William along the famous West Highland Way and the Mugdock reservoir, a Victorian feat of engineering, supplies the city of Glasgow with its water. Having completed a large scale oil painting (1 metre square) on this subject several years ago and feeling nostalgic for the magic of the summer walks there I've started a new painting on the same subject which is finally coming close to getting to where I want it to be.
Mugdock Country Park in Milngavie on the outskirts of Glasgow is an oasis for city dwellers who need to get away from the hustle and bustle around them and enjoy the beauty of this place and be inspired by the numerous interesting historical sites located here. The park is where walkers begin their 96 mile trek to Fort William along the famous West Highland Way and the Mugdock reservoir, a Victorian feat of engineering, supplies the city of Glasgow with its water. Having completed a large scale oil painting (1 metre square) on this subject several years ago and feeling nostalgic for the magic of the summer walks there I've started a new painting on the same subject which is finally coming close to getting to where I want it to be.
