Burnt Orange Field July 28th 2016 Painting

This work is inspired by walking in the Hebrides on Isle of Islay, off the western coast of Scotland, where I grew up. I translate these raw, empty landscapes into fields of space and light. Rather than being literal depictions of hills and sea and sky, my paintings are evocative of the feeling of being in a still, deeply remote place, humbled by its enormity. The combination of many almost-translucent layers of paint and the texture of brushstrokes give the seemingly flat expanses of color an unexpected depth. Colors change unpredictably as I paint, expressing the randomness of nature that I am constantly grappling with as I search for a hue seen only for a fleeting moment. I often return to Scotland where I continually find inspiration in the lonely, quiet landscape.