Just Passing Through

"Having been a traditional realist painter for many years, I now love finding my beautiful creature in amongst random paint marks. I've always have a heightened sense of Paraedolia. As a child I would see animals and faces in things like curtains, wallpaper, bubble baths and in natural things like clouds or trees. 

There's an excitement in not knowing what a painting will be when I start. Once I find my subject in my intuitively painted marks, I use my many years of experience painting animals to create just enough detail and form to bring my creatures out of the chaos. I try to retain as much of the original energy and vibrancy as possible whilst still staying true to the spirit of the animal."

Turtle Doves are a migratory species of dove. They are red on the endangered list. The decline is thought to be down to changes in farming practice, such as reduced access to seed and reduction in hedgerow breeding sites. On rare occcasions they can be seen passing through Scotland on the way to warmer climes.