My influences are often visceral, stemming from a reaction to the landscape around me. I find inspiration from the light, and the textures, the lapping of water on the shore, the call of a fox at dusk and all such things. I use photographs and sketches, finding that even the roughest sketch or marks of hills and trees provide the form and suggestion of place that I need to begin to express and share how that view, or creature affected me. The colour palette of Galloway is so rich and varied, especially in winter. The hidden lochs, weathered dykes and damp woods are a constant inspiration.
I am 70 years old now – still enjoying life and painting. If all lives are a journey, then finding peace and fulfilment in the natural world has been a big part of mine.