"Covid Canal 9" Collage

I am a Scottish artist now living in and working in Glasgow. I was brought up on a farm in rural Mid-Argyll, on the west coast of Scotland. The soft light, colours and skies of where I grew up are an inherent influence on my work After attending an art foundation course in London in my late teens, my life took a series of different paths leading to a career in higher education as a researcher and lecturer. Whilst I was successful in this world, I always felt there was something missing. In 2019 I made the decision to leave my full time job to spent more time on developing my practice as an artist. I will be forever drawn to the sea and beaches of the west coast of Scotland. I love nothing more than escaping to a beach in my studio! The sea and sky feature heavily in my landscapes. My more realistic landscapes are a jumping off point for my mixed media collage landscapes, where I create more abstract landscapes based on the images, colours and textures of how I see the world. In my collages I monoprint onto different types of papers which I then transfer onto canvas and/or board to build landscapes. These are then overlain with acrylic paint (often thrown onto the paper) to provide enhanced colour, texture and detail. To create shapes and texture on the printed paper, I use a range of everyday items including bubble-wrap, which is often also incorporated into the final works. Sadly I see far too much plastic everywhere I go, and I want my work to remind people that plastic is now sadly an integral part of our world. Over the past 2 years I have been building up my practice. I am a member of both the Scottish Society of Artists (SSA ) and the RGI (Royal Glasgow Institute for Fine Arts). One of my pieces as included in the RGI’s first online exhibition this summer, and I had a piece in the SSA annual exhibition at the end of 20219. My work has been bought my a small number of private collectors. I am now actively looking to increase my client base and exhibition presence.