My Art Style Journey

Work Journey

For over 20 years I built a career as a wildlife and portrait painter known for my traditional realist style. Working in pastel or oil, I always knew what my subject would be and how it would look once completed. It was a well practised skill with predictable outcomes.

In 2020 I moved on from this very detail orientated way of working to embrace a looser and more free-flowing art style. One where I didn’t know what subject I was painting until some way through the process.

The inclusion of animals in my art continues, their images hard-wired in my brain after so many years, but it’s their energy and spirit that are more important to me now.

Working in this way keeps me joyfully engaged in a creative experience of the art.

In 2024 I was selected to paint a giant hare sculpture as part of The Big Hop Trail in aid of CLAN Cancer Support.

It was a fantastic experience to have the opportunity to translate my style of painting into a 3D object. I was delighted to be able to contribute to such a worthy cause.

Studio

At my Home in Fochabers

I am fortunate to have a purpose-built space where I can keep all my painterly chaos. It works in very a cyclical nature, much like my art. I make a big mess and then I tidy up and then the whole process starts again.

Artistic Evolution

From the initial explosion of colour in my "Out of Chaos" artwork, through my emerging collection where I brought the animals further into form, I'm now working on the latest evolution of my art practice.

I'm currently exploring light, colour and pose as a way to express moments of connection with wildlife. Whether it be a direct gaze or fleeting moment of movement that catches one unawares.