Ancestors and Invented Spaces – CURRENT WORK
My current work continues with the themes of invented spaces. 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, Enclosed Spaces,  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 Mid-career 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 reflection of a horse in the river
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.