Things of concrete and wire, mythical creatures to inspire stories
Creatures of myth and imagination can call to you from the strangest of places. I am attracted to taking pictures of the strangest things, like rusted wire, abandoned buildings and patterns in the asphalt. They inspire me to tell their stories.
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‘Flee for Freedom’ art on a preserved section of the Berlin Wall now dedicated to wall art.
I have been lucky so far in my art career to not get badly burned but there are occasions when I have felt decidedly uneasy. Due diligence is needed as an artist, especially if you are travelling, spending money for exhibitions or when posting on the internet. Things can go wrong even with the best plans, so be aware!
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IAPMA Paper Alive exhibition, Pillnitz Palace, Dresden.
Can artists save the world? Papermakers are giving it a try! Presenting at the International Association of Hand Papermakers and Paper Artists (IAPMA) congress in Dresden were papermakers from around the world, sharing ideas, goodwill and challenging us to find creative ways to be sustainable.
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Caisleán Charraig an Phoill (the Rock of the Hole). Carrigafoyle Castle, Ireland
What does a landscape reveal? In Ireland the west coast is full of the relics of stone towers and castles where lives were lived and battles fought. What we learn when we travel is not always aligned with the histories taught at school.
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Wooden block wheel c 400 BC, National Irish Museum, Dublin
What objects do you keep and what stories do they tell? Museums are great storehouses of stories told through the collection of objects. Souvenirs of place and time, preserved through fate or passed down through generations.
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The Caledonian Pine or Scots Pine tree seems to symbolise all that is tough and hardy about Scotland. Through it I feel the tug and pull of my DNA, my ancestors voices in the wind, calling. I wrote a poem which became a drawing and then a video. I love the way the artistic process unfolds as you work.
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The outer cloth and silk lining ready to sew a sachet - I dyed these cloths while at Dartington this year.
Much of art research is collecting information or data, then conceptualising how this can be creatively expressed. Collecting data about the weather has become a rich source of inspiration in the Western Highlands for over a hundred years. I’m carrying it forward…
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View of the lower part of Ben Nevis through the rain spattered window
Why do people climb mountains? Is it because “they’re there?” In Scotland there is a tradition of ‘bagging a Munro’, climbing one of the mountains over 3,000 feet. My idea of climbing and bagging is a bit different….
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Watching the shore disappear
Bodies of water and their crossing will always fill me with the siren call of adventure. The anticipation of exploration and (self) discovery are strong allures so I headed out to the small island of Lismore on my own kind of pilgrimage.
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Balancing Act (detail) digital collage 2023
When creativity is flowing you feel alive and vital. But there are fallow periods in any artist’s life, and that is when you need to nurture yourself and build a scaffolding to support you as you revitalise your artistic practice.
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