Hello, and thank you for taking the time to visit my website.
For much of my life as a professional artist I have, as most artists can relate, struggled with writing something meaningful and concise about my interests, inspiration and practice. If you really are keen to read my ‘Artist’s Statement’, please scroll down the page a bit, otherwise I’ll try to keep this as painless as possible (for myself, as much as for you!).
Background
I was born (1979) and brought up in rural Perthshire, Scotland, and received my wonderful arts education at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, w
hich is part of the University of Dundee. I graduated in 2001 with a 2:1 in Fine Art, specialising in Drawing and Painting. Art college life was amazing, so it was a real anticlimax to suddenly be graduated and have no business skills. I managed to get a rented studio space at WASPS Dundee within a few months, which I shared for about 6 years with my now husband. Again, quite an anticlimax – lots of artists in a hub, but with virtually no interaction as we all worked behind closed doors, at varying times of the day and night. Working solo for the first time after art college was daunting, and I did battle with mild depression for many years, and it still arises at times. During my time at WASPS, I was introduced to complementary/alternative therapies and energy healing specifically. This allowed me to properly manage my mood, gain a better understanding about how life happens, and basically keep making art. There is a recurring theme of healthcare in my practice, including work in various hospital collection (see Art UK’s website for example), being accepted for MSc Art Psychotherapy (then subsequently changing my mind!), and the ongoing interest in ‘bigger picture’ spirituality concepts. I am now happily settled back in my beloved Perthshire, surrounded by trees, and working in my home studio.
Interests and Inspiration
In the bit about my background, I touched on a few key interests that heavily influence my artwork – nature, health and spirituality. I could spend hours watching insects, animals and birds for no real reason, other than simple fascination. Walking or cycling in the woods bring me a lot of happiness, possibly rekindling happy childhood memories, but I also like the air quality, energy and sounds – it’s a multi-sensory feeling of nurturing to me, and it brings calmness. As I paint, I often listen to mantra music or spiritual discourses that help me to focus the mind, consider the symbolism of the colour or form that I’m painting, and in general gain an understanding of how things are in my life. Art is so often plugged as having therapeutic benefit, and I am certainly an advocate of that thinking – I see it daily in my own life. To have a sense of there being ‘more to life than meets the eye’ I think helps lift people out of their worries and problems, and that is what this thing of spirituality is for me. It has nothing to do with religion, by the way, it’s way bigger than that and all-embracing – no favoured groups. In my artwork, I hope to instill that sense of oneness with nature and each other, that we are all connected – energetically, spiritually… whatever you want to call it.
Artist’s Statement
My work is an investigation into the relationship between humans and our surroundings, how we perceive the natural environment, and the stability that nature provides us through its beauty, power and resilience. Inspired by Scottish cultural heritage, environmental sustainability and spiritual philosophies, I seek to bring a sense of wellbeing through my work. Presenting visual interpretations of nature’s dominance, I intend to convey the notion of living to life’s full potential through our intrinsic, human connectedness with nature, and our absolute dependence on the good health of our natural environment.