Ancestors and Invented Spaces – CURRENT WORK

My current work continues with the theme of enclosures, but the spaces are becoming more invented than real. I have been expanding on notions of family and ancestry with figures, objects and furniture jostling for space in complex arrangements. I am revisiting outdoor spaces, too – in particular formal gardens.

I have introduced distemper into my practice. Mixing pigment with rabbit skin glue and applying to canvas gives interesting marks that are reminiscent of screen-printing. I can wash out these marks with water and use stencils which affords a range of blurry and sharp edges. This accentuates my interest in ghosts from the past nudging present reality. I work with oil paint on top of the distemper in increasingly inventive ways, often making decisions whilst in the act of painting.

2025 is an exciting year starting with a solo exhibition at Linlithgow Burgh Halls. I have been looking into how my fresco and oil painting influence each other, thanks to a Creative Scotland Open Fund Award. A residency with the Hosking Houses Trust in Warwickshire will intensify my interest in the theatre as a locus for memory. Finally, the Blackadder Houston Travel award will take me to Chile and Argentina to research how Magic Realism influences my painting.

Pablo's House, oil and distemper on canvas, 152x166cm, 2025

GALLERY

A girl is sitting at a table which has green things on it.
A girl is sitting at a table that has green objects and plants on it.
Two children are sitting at a table and two adults are behind, serving them.
Some children are sitting in a garden that has brassicas growing.
A still life of objects on a table with a mirror.
A vanity unit is covered in crystal objects and perfume.