I live and work in Broughty Ferry, near Dundee, in Scotland. The proximity of the River Tay (which moves more water seawards than the Thames and Severn combined) and the sky above it, are a major influence on my work.

For more information see - Artists CV

Artists biography

This Website

I graduated in drawing and painting from Edinburgh College of Art in 1975 but then worked in ceramics untill I began working as a full time artist in 1988 when I had my first solo show at the Open Eye Gallery in Edinburgh.  Since then I have concentrated on painting the perceived  landscape.

I’ve always based my work on observation so a large part of my painting is outdoor work. That said, I don’t aim to complete works outdoors as once the painting gets its own identity it’s important to develop it in whichever way each work leads.

I built this website in 2002 as a means to show my paintings to a wide audience and it has gone from strength to strength since then. Most of my work now consists of commissions and sales directly from here.

My interest in building a web site initially arose from a strong desire to actively represent myself as an artist through the “new” medium of the internet rather than the traditional, more passive route of relying on artist’s agents, galleries, or fate.

To interpret the outdoor environment in whatever way suggests itself when I am present in it. My starting point is always the actual scene at a specific time, and I tend to focus on the aspects of a landscape that are constantly changing like the sky and light, or movement in water to make a statement about this one moment.

I aim to concentrate on major elements within a landscape in the belief that selection is the first step to good composition when working from nature.

Techniques

Loads of folk. The Canadian “Group of Seven”, Turner, Egon Scheile, Constable, Paul Nash, Richard Bonnington, Paul Gauguin amongst many others. These are all artists whose work is influenced by observation and who have the technical mastery to communicate their vision.

I could name many, many others but when working I try not to dwell too much on other artist’s work in the hope that what small vision I do have is influenced as little as possible by the art world and as much as possible by the subject and its immediacy.

Outdoor Oil Sketch (above)and larger work developed from it

Methods

Outdoor paintings have a tremendous energy within them and I try to bring this energy back into the studio to develop and build upon the initial vision.

 I work outdoors, using oil sketches, photographs and pencil sketches to observe and establish the main elements of a landscape in terms of tones, colour and compositional masses.

These small works will be completed or will be used as the basis for larger paintings scaled up in the studio.

Studio working is the final stage in the creation of a painting, allowing the artist to select the essential parts of the more spontaneous sketch, and work with the feelings and observations to develop the final statement.

Rewards

Other relevant information -

I always know when I'm painting at my very best because it feels like someone else is doing the work for me, and just using me as a conduit. It's a weird feeling sometimes and can be quite moving.

Related Pages -

Biography - Artists biography

Artists CV 

Latest Work - New work and projects

High Points - The light in Scotland

Low Points - Scottish weather at its worst.