With my wife the printmaker Kitty Watt www.kittywatt.com we moved to a croft near John O Groats in 1997
We lead a fairly selfsufficent life with a cattle herd and small wind turbine.
The starting point of most of my paintings is usually a brief moment in time. This could be a sudden burst of weather.
We witness fantastic clouds and storms scuttling over Orkney and the Pentland Firth especially in winter or birds such as the henharrier trying to catch a bird or increasingly an incident involving myself.
So the painting begins as a small sketch which are repeated many times, while the composition is worked out and I get the painting into my head. This may take a while until I 'crack' it.
Occasionally I move onto a bigger scale pastel which is done briskly.
My work is often discribed as passionate and bold.
BIOGRAPHY
1973-79 worked at the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology
at Banchory Aberdeenshire doing research into the ecology of red grouse and capercaillie
1980 -97 Self-employed landscape gardener and drystone dyker, working mainly on large rural gardens, including estate houses, using a lot of large stone in my garden designs.
1981-84 Life drawing coarse (part-time) at Grey's School of Art
1990-95 member of the life drawing group Strathdon
1994 Etching course Peacock Printmakers Aberdeen 1994-96 Worked with Kitty Watt on Rocks of Solitude traveling exhibition
1997 Moved to the Biel of Duncansby Caithness.
1997-2006 Working full time on our croft building sheds,
fencing, making our vegetable garden planting thousands of trees etc.
2006 to present , Build a studio and start painting again fitting in as much painting as I can between croft work
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2010 Northlands glass, Lybster
2009 Milton art gallery, Aberdeenshire
2006 Waterfront Gallery , Stromness Orkney
1998 St. Fergus Gallrey , Wick Caithness
1993 Monymusk Arts Centre , Aberdeenshire
1992 Strathfest , Strathdon Aberdeenshire
1984 Raemoir Hotel , Banchory Aberdeenshire
1983 Brechin Art Gallery , Angus
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2012 Christmas Salon Timespan, Helmsdale
2011 St, Fergus Gallery, Wick, life drawing exhibition.
2010 St, Fergus Gallery,Wick
2010 Brechin Arts Festival ,Invited artist.
1994-96 Aberdeen Artists Society .
1996 The Bridge Gallery , Dublin .
1995 The Little Gallery Pittenweem , Fife .
1995 Just Art , Fochabers , Moray .
1994 Deeside Studio , Aboyne , Aberdeenshire .
1994 Angus Gallery , Brechin , Angus .
1993 The Warehouse Gallery , Banff .
1993-96 John Laing Landscape Exhibition , Talbot Rice Gallery , Edinburgh ,(commendation)
1992 Gordon District Art Forum .(commendation)
1991-92 Strathfest Portrait Exhibition , Strathdon , Aberdeenshire .
1991-93 Strathfest Life Drawing , Strathdon, Aberdeenshire.
1984 Brechin Gallery, Angus .
THE ROCKS OF SOLITUDE TOURING EXHIBITION
with KITTY WATT.
1996, August, The Art Gallery,Aberdeen , Royal Infirmary.
1996, June, Just Art , Fochabers , Moray.
1996, April, The Ceilidh Place , Ullapool Wester Ross.
1996 , January, The Meffan , Forfa , Angus .
1995 , October , Ferryport Studio , Tayport , Fife .
1995 , August , Brechin Gallery , Angus .
