Artist and landscape architect

I am an artist concerned with land and our cultural heritage; how we perceive and use the land, how to communicate this and how to create conversations open to all artists, ecologists and community groups. I am an enthusiastic educator and practitioner, and work both on site and in my studio. I work in watercolour and oil paint and much of my work is commissioned.

Paintings in oil on canvas

Painting for 15 years from enviable studios in both Flanders and Scotland, is a process of creating relationships with the landscape, with changing light and seasons. My paintings take many months, some a year or more, to accurately assimilate a sense of place. Ultimately they have to stand for themselves. Space, perspective, colour and light are all important to the composition. I studied painting in Italy and Belgium, and Landscape Architecture at Edinburgh University with Dr John Byrom and Seamus Filor.

We are of the landscape and would do well to understand this.

Flemish Landscapes

Living in a flat landscape has perceptual challenges that can be disorientating. I adored painting the nuances of the seasons, the bright moss and lichen on trees in winter, the fluffy greens in the summer. I cycled for years throughout Vlaams Brabant, racking up 100's of mini oil pastel sketches which formed an invaluable part of my large scale studio practice.

I draw and paint what is around me in an effort to place myself.

Botanical illustrations and Sketchbooks

I have been practicing this discipline since I graduated in 1993 and received a scholarship to study in Sri Lanka. As 'resident artist' in Brief Garden and Museum, I drew and painted plants to identify them for conservation purposes. Pen, ink and watercolour were my chosen mediums, on heavy rag cotton watercolour paper of archival quality. Tropical climates warrant this treatment. I have continued to paint in botanical gardens in India, UK, Australia and Belgium.