I draw a lot. They are mostly observational drawings done in places I happen to be, whether coastal, rural, urban or interior, at home or away. I particularly love charcoal. I think observational drawing really helps me slow down and be in a place. I find I don’t think in the usual way when I am drawing but get into some kind of zone where all that matters is response. I get absorbed in balancing light against dark, line against space and all sorts of fleeting associations come up in a state of daydreaming. When I paint, I usually make thing up, but I think the sense of being in a place and of looking feeds in – it creates a store of shapes and images that I can conjure.

I have made several collages out of old drawings and monoprints. I like the idea of mixing up different styles and eras; some of the drawings date back to when I was a teenager. The dynamics of collage have directly influenced my paintings and I have recently been experimenting with using line directly onto the canvas by way of oil transfer, squaring up or projection.

In 2014 I took part in a drawing residency at Dumfries House in Ayrshire. This was organised by the Princes Drawing School. In 2021 I spent a month at Merz in Sanquhar, Scotland. During this residency, I made four large charcoal drawing collages and some collaged three dimensional models.

In 2022, I took part in a two week residency in Cill Rialaig, County Kerry, Ireland where I worked mainly with drawings in concertina sketchbooks.