Artist Statement:
I try to make art from the ordinary commonplace world I see and experience everyday.
It’s where I live, and my work is generated by the that world.
It’s the world of Tesco, of Home Bargains, Amazon and charity shops and a place I have difficulty traversing without constantly thinking, ‘what can I make out of that’.
My ‘studio’ is the family home, our kitchen, our living room, the garden, the garage; often all at the same time.
Biography:
Art at Kirkland High School was a largely an overlooked subject, there were 2 of us in Higher Art class. After initially considering Physics as a University option I changed route in my final year going on to study Philosophy and English at Edinburgh University. A subsequent post graduate course in Systems Analysis led to a short lived job in computing in High Wycombe then after returning to Edinburgh I popped into B&Q to buy a piece of wood and ended up staying there for several years, eventually becoming a garden centre manager with the firm.
During all this time I also made artworks for my brother David. The opportunities to help David grew and I left B&Q to work on his projects more fully. At this time our first daughter arrived, followed by our second 4 years later. Working for David from home allowed me to be the home parent whilst having the chance to make some contribution to the household income.
In 2009, a huge project David undertook, ‘Precious Light’, took me up and down to London regularly for 2 years. At this time I also started to make more of my own artwork and had my first solo show. Over the last 10 years, while still making things for David I have concentrated predominantly on my own work and our work together has becoming increasingly collaborative. We regularly undertake joint shows and are currently on our fifth outing, MACH 5.