Born, Leeds, UK 1962 Edinburgh College of Art: BA (Hons) Drawing and Painting 1980 – 1984
Statement:
My work is very much process driven. I don’t make paintings of things or places, I paint paintings which have their own reality, their own up and down, their own timeline and their own place in the world. A finished work was never envisaged beforehand, but rather it is the result of a process that combines a variety of (usually) contrary methods. From randomly splashing paint to careful mark-making; from painting freely with little conscious thought, to passages of intense concentration - but always looking, always listening, always reacting. I involve myself in a dialogue with each work which continues through vociferous argument and whispered entreatments to the point where nothing more needs to be said. I reference the places I know well; the fields and hills of East Lothian, the weather over the beaches and cliffs of the North Sea coastline where I live, and the Atlantic West Coast where I have spent time over the years, walking and fishing. However my work is not topographical, rather I reference the language of landscape in a way more akin to poetry or musical compositions. My work is created entirely in the studio. I don’t use sketches or photographs. I just paint. My working practice is intuitive and improvisational - an approach which fosters the unexpected. When painting I am interested in relationships of colour and tone, with form, rhythm and balance, and I’m fascinated by the way these can spark memories of places and experiences – and eventually I find a way to make sense of the work.