Drawing at St Abbs

I had a fabulous couple of days last week exploring the dramatic coastline at St Abbs and sight of thousands of guillemots jostling for space on the sea cliffs. Every now and then the mist came swirling in from the North Sea and obscured all but the faintest ghost of the crags, the only indication of life being the persistent high pitched calls of the kittiwakes and background chatter of guillemots and razorbills.

 

The Nature of Scotland, SNH Magazine

I was recently asked to contribute an article to the Scottish Natural Heritage magazine describing how my work is influenced by the natural world. The full article is available online and print copies are available at a number of venues such as National Nature Reserves across Scotland. (Page 60).

http://www.snh.gov.uk/publications-data-and-research/publications/search-the-catalogue/publication-detail/?id=2413

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RSW 5th Summer Open Annual Exhibition

The RSW show opens this weekend in Forfar with a wide selection of work in water-based media. I'll be showing two works both inspired by some of my travels and the result of much experimentation. I find that working across a variety of media leads naturally to approaching work in new ways as one discipline informs the other and my printmaking practice has had a strong influence on the development of these pieces. 



 This is one of a series of "Lost Postcards" from Cuba, my postcards (those which turned up) took over six months to reach the UK leading to questions around communications and freedom of speech both within Cuba and its relationship with the wider world.

Below, a painting on constructed papers reflecting the wonderful higgeldy-piggeldy effect of crumbling plaster, painted signs, posters and other ephemera which captivated me in India. 
 

For more details and opening times follow the link:
http://www.rsw.org.uk/ 

Print Room Dundee

I'm very pleased to be part of an exciting new collective of printmakers who all make our work in Dundee. The mutual support of everyone at the workshop, opinions, advice and general cameraderie have been invaluable over the years so now its nice to look forward to showing work together as well as making it alongside each other.

http://www.printroomdundee.scot/index.htm 

Keep an eye on the website for news of exhibitions and events, hopefully coming soon!

The Isle of May


 I have just spent a wonderful week on the Isle of May in the Firth of Forth, walking, watching, drawing and absorbing the rhythm of life on the island. Predictably the weather was changeable and there were moments of battling the wind as paper and drawing board threatened to blow away or having to dry out a sodden sketchbook by the stove. But it meant seeing so many different facets of the island as sea spume swirled around the cliffs at Altarstanes Harbour, the magical appearance of vast numbers of puffins from the gloom of a murky morning or shags preening and glistening in the sunshine.

More to come soon!



The Black Spout



I had a fabulous day out drawing the Black Spout waterfalls at Pitlochry last week. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, it was actually warm enough that my hands didn't go blue working without gloves on! Here are a couple of the drawings, really enjoying the play of light on still pools or foaming, rushing torrents and some lovely rock forms.

Winter Drawing


A few quick sketches from my travels around Dumfries and Galloway on a glorious frosty and sunny morning in February. 

And drawings in ink of some fantastic tree forms. I really enjoyed getting back to basics making these, restricting myself to working purely in black and white with one brush and a twig. Its always a pleasure spending a few hours outside, getting completely absorbed in a subject and thinking of nothing else but what the next mark will be.


 

Royal Institute of Painters In Watercolour Exhibition


One of my India inspired watercolours 'Sabzi Bazaar' has just been accepted to the RI show at Mall Galleries, London and will be on show there from 6th-16th April 2016.

http://www.mallgalleries.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/royal-institute-painters-water-colours-2016 

The piece began life as a selection of sketchbook images which I had been working up using different printmaking techniques and as a by-product, had lots of lovely scraps of brightly coloured and textured papers. They resolved themselves into an image formed around two women who I drew at a vegetable bazaar in Udaipur. A huge basket of luscious papaya and other equally vibrant fruit and vegetables in the foreground vied for brilliance with the womens shimmering saris. As usual the setting was a confusing backdrop of awnings, parasols, doorways, peeling paintwork, signs and small shrines. 
 






New year, new projects

This year has brought an exciting new project which will be taking me on a number of drawing trips around Dumfries and Galloway, an area I've often travelled through but never before had the pleasure to stop and explore. So far I've travelled most of the length of the Solway coastline, pausing to draw subjects along the way ranging from the Barnacle Geese at Caerlaverock to the Mull of Galloway lighthouse.


 Also recently completed are two new sets of linocuts based on some wildlife drawing made in the autumn.

 
 

 

Plunge


A recent collagraph I've been working on after spending many happy hours watching the cormorants and gannets diving off Waternish Point on Skye earlier this year. This is a working proof yet to be editioned but I think its just about ready to go. I really love those rich, velvety blacks full of texture which collagraph can achieve.


And some fresh inspiration from a recent trip into the Cairngorms just in time for the first serious snowfall of the year. The walk up was eerily misty but once in the bowl of the corrie it suddenly began to lift, revealing spectacular black rocky outcrops and snow filled gullies.

Sea Campion and Gulls

Another new linocut fresh off the press, Sea Campion are one of my favourite flowers clinging to tiny scraps of turf in among the rocks at the bottom of my parents croft on Skye. The delicate white petals and subtle veins somehow withstand the battering they receive from the elements and always seem to have a tangle of twines, interesting flotsam and jetsam intertwining with their roots.

Christmas Exhibitions


I thought this was a suitably wintry picture to accompany a selection of other works in linocut and painting at the Frames Christmas Exhibition (13th November - 30th January)  http://www.framesgallery.co.uk/exhibitions/

There will also be a a couple of my linocuts on show at the House for an Art Lover Christmas Exhibition (24th November - 18th January) http://www.houseforanartlover.co.uk/

Further north I have recently sent a selection of new linocuts  to Gallery 48 in Cromarty http://www.gallery48.scot/index.asp and will also be bringing some of my most recent works to the Castle Gallery in Inverness later this month http://www.castlegallery.co.uk/ 

Directional Signage NHS England


The last few weeks have seen my linocut tools being put through their paces cutting a set of images for a refurbished health centre in Nottinghamshire. Each scene is based on a site of local interest and has a key colour relating to the wayfinding signage. The prints have just been sent off for scanning and will be reproduced at several metres width to fill entire sections of wall. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished result!

Puhoi Organic Milk Packaging

This summer I was asked to do some work for a design agency in New Zealand to be used on packaging for an organic milk and artisan cheese company near Auckland City. They were very keen to use artwork that evoked craft and tradition but also had a contemporary feel and would work well in a variety of soft, vintage style colours. It turned out linocut was just what was needed.

And the lovely vintage company van being kitted out with its new livery.



To see more examples visit: https://www.facebook.com/PuhoiValley/info?tab=overview

Notes from the Sketchbook

 I always enjoy heading off in whatever direction my feet happen to carry me with a sketchbook and selection of drawing equipment. Normally fairly basic, quick and easy to use items like watercolour pencils, a few soft pastels and plenty of soft pencils. This year has taken me to Shetland, Sutherland, Galway, Skye, the Lake District and the Perthshire hills so far with some great wildlife spotting including huge bird colonies, dolphins, orca and a sparrowhawk which made itself at home on my parents lawn on Skye one morning.

Here is a small selection from the current sketchbooks....









Two books

During the spring I had the pleasure of working on illustrations for two very different books, 'The Dumb House' by John Burnside and 'A Portable Shelter' by Kirsty Logan.

'The Dumb House' published by Penguin Random House in their Vintage Classics collection tells the dark story of obsession with the nature of language, exploitation and revenge.



Meanwhile 'A Portable Shelter' is a collection of short stories which take the reader through a seemingly timeless world somewhere between dream, fairytale and contemporary life. It required the creation of a number of related works for chapter headings and a vintage style cover printed in black and silver foil onto hardback binding, published by ASLS.





All of the artwork was created using linocut printmaking, using half tones in black and white for 'A Portable Shelter' (this effect is achieved by stripping some ink from the block with a sheet of newsprint before printing). For 'The Dumb House' I opted to use two blocks with a black and white 'key' and also a colour block which could be inked up in sections. 

Both are released this month and I've just received my eagerly awaited copies so now its time to actually read the full text!
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Summer update

Well its been a wee while since the last post and a very busy few months with trips to Shetland and Sutherland plus I've been working on some exciting illustration projects. 
More about them once the publication dates are a bit closer...but I can reveal that I've been working with Scottish author Kirsty Logan on her new book "A Portable Shelter" which will be released during the Edinburgh International Book Festival next month.

In the meantime a couple of new linocut prints