The upland wilds of the Lake District and Scotland hold a deep resonance for me. While I live and work in the Lake District, which is my home and constant source of inspiration, I have spend many years walking and sketching in the Scottish landscape. Both places have had a great impact on my connection to the outdoors and are essential to my creative process. Each has its own uniqueness of light and weather which are connected in a way that can make you feel exposed but grounded.
My work has evolved through sketching rapidly in these changeable environments, where weather can transform a scene in moments. This practice has helped me develop a selective eye, drawing out the key elements that define a particular place or fleeting moment. I never begin with a fixed idea; like the landscapes themselves, my paintings develop in layers. I’m interested in creating work that reveals something new with each viewing, a reflection of the landscape itself.
Time spent in the hills, away from distraction, clears the mind. The more time I spend in these upland landscapes, the more I absorb and translate: The light, texture and the raw elements are experiences that form the foundation of my work.
Living in the Lake District, I’m surrounded by rough hillside and rock, an immediate landscape that continues to shape my artistic language. But the Scottish highlands and wild moorlands have become equally significant, offering different perspectives and qualities of light that keep challenging and enriching my practice. These environments inspire my ongoing exploration of mixed media, paint, and texture, tools I use to translate the essential essence of place.
I graduated in 1998 with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art from the University of Central Lancashire. During my studies, I explored printmaking and experimental photography. These practices deepened my interest in the development of surface, mark-making, and expression. That early practice has stayed with me, and continues to evolve.
Exhibitions
Wilder Lakes – The National Trust Heelis Building – Hawkshead – 2024
Peat Light – The Landscapes of Assynt and Beyond – Gairloch Museum – 2018
Kendal Mountain Festival – Wild Weather – 2017
The Mountain Festival – Braemar – 2017
SMALL2016 – Artspace – Kendal – 2016
Kendal Mountain Festival 2016
‘A day in the hills’ – Mountain Arts Festival – Rheged – 2016
‘Truth and Terrain’ – Kendal Mountain Film Festival – 2015
‘Mountains’ – Bank Street Gallery – Kirriemiur – 2014
‘Views’ The Loovre Gallery – Kirkby Lonsdale. February 2014
SMALL2013 – Mill Yard Studio – Staveley.
SMALL2012 – Mill Yard Studio – Staveley
SPRINGsprung – Mill Yard Studio, Staveley – 2012
The Yurt Gallery, Rydal Hall – 2012
Four – Mill Yard Studio – Staveley 2011
SMALL2010 – Mill Yard Studio – Staveley 2010 – 2011
Brantwood – Coniston 2010
Di Rollo Gallery – Edinburgh 2009 – 2010
The Fringe Festival – Edinburgh 2009
The Yurt Gallery – Rydal Hall 2009
“Leading to Landscapes” – Gatefoot Gallery, Staveley 2008
“50 Mile” – The Bleach House, Ulverston 2008
“Peatlight” – The Ceilidh Place, Ullapool 2008
National Mountaineering Exhibition – Rheged 2008
Lowick Community Learning Centre 2007
Coniston Water Festival 2006
“Place” – Kendal Museum 2005
“Fell” – Orton 2005
Kendal Mountain Film Festival 1999
International Climbing Competition, Birmingham 1999
Private commissions.