ARTIST STATEMENT
I live in the rural North East of Scotland at the foothills of the Cairngorm National Park surrounded by mountains, forests, rivers and wildlife. This habitat provides the impetus for my work. I’m drawn to nature and I am intrigued by the lines, shapes, shadows and marks on the land, both natural and man made. These can often be the starting point for a piece or body of work.
A new piece of work begins as a basic concept; a seed triggered perhaps by a photograph I’ve taken, a few lines of poetry, a page in my sketchbook or possibly just thoughts that have been evolving subconsciously. I develop it through process, trialling different surface design techniques and ideas until I find the one that feels right. Many are discarded along the way or set aside for another project. As each stage is completed there is a feeling of excitement as the work develops and I connect with it.
Mastering the use and continuing development of dye and paint on fabric means that often the fabric I colour is itself the source for the structure of the work. It’s a long, slow and absorbing process.
My work is produced using a variety of machines. Predominantly I use a Bernina 1008 mechanical workhorse, Bernina 830 fully computerised sewing machine and a Bernina Q24 Long Arm quilting machine.
