SEALLADH BHON UINNEIG AGAM (View from my window) - watercolour sketch of Loch a Tuath on 2nd February 2024
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 to devote more time to creative work has been incredibly rewarding.
SOME FAVOURITE PLACES Andros in Greece is not only a beautiful island - it also has a world class art gallery in the main town, the beach nearest my home in Tong on the Isle of Lewis at low tide and the Wasp's studio I had the pleasure of occupying a few years ago at the Briggait in Glasgow.
GREEK DIARY July 2023 - A sketchbook from Andros
WATERCOLOUR DIARY December 2023 - Some miniature watercolour illustrations of our village 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.