My First Steps into Art
   
I first realised that I liked art as far back as Primary school. I found that I liked drawing maps and memorising how to draw specific shapes.  

I vividly remember being in class one day when the student teacher asked for volunteers to come up to the blackboard and draw a tree.  All of us wanted to do it and she was soon faced with 30 pairs of waving hands and voices shouting "Me! Me! Me!".  One by one my classmates went up and drew a tree in the shape of a Christmas tree but I was different, my tree had roots and branches and leaves.

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Going to Art School

After secondary school I took a year out and tried a few different jobs including working as an insurance salesman and a stock controller.  It didn't take me long though to realise that what I really wanted to do was to have the opportunity to explore my potential as an artist. With this in mind I applied to the Gray's School of Art in Aberdeen.

The course at Gray's was very traditional.  In the first year I actually began to wonder if I had not signed on for a medical student course by mistake.  We were given skeletons to draw and had to learn all the bones and muscles of the human body.  It wasn't enough just to be able to paint the the human form our teachers also expected us to superimpose the bone and muscle structure on top of the model we had drawn.

This focus on detail gave me a very good understanding of shape and form and I found that once I had gained the ability to paint the subtle tones in the skin then it was relatively easy to capture other subjects.

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The Abstract Painter Emerges

During my time at the Gray School of Art I became more and more interested in working with abstract art.  I loved the freedom of expression that abstract art could give me.  I still paid a lot of attention to the detail in nature but felt compelled to express this in a different way.  

The biggest inspiration for me was a lecturer by the name of Sandy Fraser.  I loved the big sloppy abstract art that he did at the time. Funnily enough, he has now gone on to become renowned for doing figurative art.

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Inspiration for my work

I don't go out looking for inspiration; it just happens.  I think there is some compartment of my brain that is always receptive to landscape, light and colour.  Sometimes, I can simply be looking out of the window at home watching the changes in the weather.  Often though, I am travelling around seeing different things.

I like watching the scenery pass by whilst travelling.  One moment you are looking at fields overcast by a dark and moody sky and then you come out from the clouds and the same landscape gives rise to a completely different atmosphere and emotions.

Amongst my favourite locations is the island of Islay in the Inner Hebrides.  It has dramatic scenery and lots of hidden places. The colours and light here are quite unique.  The silver of the sand, the blues and greens of the landscape and the ever changing light fill me full of ideas and thoughts.   

I also find much inspiration in the people and land of Aberdeenshire.  Donside has many hidden attractions with mountains in the background, a rugged coastline and several winding rivers.

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Colour and emotions

To me, colours speak of emotions.  The emotions of the people you are with, the emotions that the setting conveys.  

I use all colours in my work but until recently felt more at home using turquoises, yellows and greens.  Red was more of a challenge.  Now, though, I am enjoying experimenting with the richness of red tones.

One painting that does this is the Cemiez, a work that I did whilst on holiday in Nice. The painting has been interpreted in various formats (A5 study, acrylics) and as a  large canvas uses reds pinks, and blues  to capture the feeling of the Mediterranean, the vibrant colours of the location and the history.

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Working in my studio

My studio is a converted bedroom at my home just outside Aberdeen.  

I always know when it is time to get back into the studio. My mind is forever busy collecting ideas and I rarely travel far without my sketch pad.  Sometimes I will work from a fairly detailed sketch, on other occasions there may be just a thumbnail annotated with colours, notes and ideas.  

I also get ideas through commissions and enjoy the challenge of interpreting a landscape which is special for somebody else.

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