Picnic Painting

I am a figurative painter based in Edinburgh, Scotland. I'm inspired by everyday experience of life and especially people and nature. My paintings often focus on nature and the way people connect with the natural environment in our modern world, especially those of us living in cities and towns. I think about how important the environment is for all of us, and how the changing environment may affect our future lives. I record my ideas in sketches, photographs or plein air paintings, from which I often then develop larger works in the studio. I enjoy using the physicality and expressiveness of the materials - usually ink,acrylic paint or watercolour - to attempt to describe in visual language those strange or beautiful moments which always seem to elude capture in the written word. I am inspired by contemporary figurative artists such as Peter Doig, Marlene Dumas and Chantalle Joffe, but also by the Scottish tradition of painting including artists such as William Gillies and the Scottish Colourists, especially Cadell for his bold use of colour.