Yew tree project: exploring the ancient trees at Limefield House

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Painting project to capture ancient yew trees At the end of 2024 I was delighted to receive a commission from Limefield House, a Georgian property outside Edinburgh, to create paintings inspired by the yew trees on the grounds. Limefield Mansion House built in 1805 is steeped in history and surrounded by trees, monkey puzzle, Canadian redwood and a promenade of yews estimated to be at least 1000 years old. The yew tree project is to create two large paintings but in the process I will develop a body of work including paintings, drawings, photographs and possibly time-lapse video. I want to…

What is the strangest thing you ever found on a beach?

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  BLOCK ISLAND, RHODE ISLAND, USA The 4 miles of beach past Southwest Point on Block Island in the summer is hot, littered with trees, boulders, the detritus of the shipping industry it is also empty of day-trippers and family beach parties. The wild ocean facing side of the island here evidence and artifacts lie everywhere but the people are far away, the arc of existence described by a million pointless objects. Decisions that were made elsewhere and long ago. GYRE, The piece I created for Reuse, Reinvent Reimagine started with the beachcombing ; the process of acquiring junk, trash,…

In my studio – prevaricating

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Spending what feels like half my life in the studio these days – probably should be more than that given the show is only 6 weeks away….This weekend went to the Ambulance Depot to work out what kind of lighting I should use when there is 2D work and moving image in the same show. I was really lucky to be able to borrow lighting kit from Screen Academy and to have Drew on hand to run up and down a ladder but I am afraid I am no clearer….I need ‘lots of lights’ and then ‘no lights’ ? Really?…

Is Painting Nostalgic?

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  Memory is where I start. A core dislocation, the sadness, a lie that I tell myself.  To start. There is longing but also relief. There is no going back. There are limits but there is potential. I was meant to be here…….. When it’s going in the right direction nostalgia disappears. You don’t look back and risk that your experience of the potential of desire, of joy, of beauty will disappear, vanish before you have sense enough to recognize it. Leaving not much in its place but longing and regret. NOSTALGIA. The point is to keep going, make the…