Hello Substack!
Beginnings are, invariably, full of hope.
Each new start has the potential to be both life-affirming and life-changing. The first school, the first kiss… You get my drift and are free to add your own.
And in my case I should probably add “The first camera”.
A little about me
Serene. Elemental. Intriguing.
An attempt to summarise my art in three words… As for me? Restless, Thorough but Easily Distracted would probably be closer to the mark!
I am a visual artist who uses writing alongside my art and photography to weave a deep connection with water, nature and place.
I’ve spent over a decade contemplating water, making abstract images that don’t conform to what most people think of as photographs. When exhibited, they have often been mistaken for paintings, and after ten years of happily pressing Control + Print I have been extending the experimentation that transformed my vision and my practice as a photographer into evolving the outputs. Over the last 6 months I have learned that I am doing much more than that, and I’ve begun to update my website to better reflect the person I now am.
Still careful, quiet by nature, but with a head full of ideas.
Inspired by the landscape around my home in north-east Scotland, I seek to create moments of respite that offer an escape from the turbulence of modern day life. My outdoor studio and the images I produce offer a quiet place where one can breathe a little deeper, reflect, and re-find balance within nature's embrace.
My art evokes the deep-rooted relationship we share with bodies of water. It becomes a mirror for our own journeys, reflecting our longing for connection and emotions that are as changing as the seasons.
I send out a newsletter titled 'FLOW' to subscribers which is evolving into a medley of image and word, reflecting my practice and thinking as an artist. I hope you’ll join me.
Why this, why now?
I’m here because, after looking around, Substack feels like a good place for both artists and writers and I’m looking for connection. People who are curious about, among other things, nature, art, water and abstraction.
While primarily a visual artist, I increasingly recognize the value of writing alongside my photographic and mixed media work. I’m finding more words and beyond my website blog I’d like somewhere to share it. This year my writing has been running on ahead of the audience, so there’s some catching up to do.
What can you expect from me?
I plan to share with you the things that I notice and where they lead me. Mostly they are the smallest of details, moments of unexpected beauty, fragments of nature and time. In the past few years, they’ve come to be increasingly important to me as a place of ease.
You’ll find I write with a contemplative tone and an evocative style, and I hope that my words and images will take you on a journey of inspiration, showing how revisiting the same small place does not need to limit your creativity.
I have previously described water thus:
“The river has been my conduit: it has sharpened my vision, given me permission to experiment and continues to introduce me to new ways of seeing.”
From the moving water near to my last home in the Peak District to the still but ephemeral pools where I now live in North East Scotland, water remains my muse and continues to shape both me and the things that I see.
My intention is to be here most days, and to share something with you - sometimes short, sometimes longer - once a week.
At the end are a couple of links to introduce you to some of the visual art I share on my website. I hope you’ll join me - it would be lovely to hear from you.
With best wishes,
Photography
Mixed Media Art
Welcome to Substack! I am looking forward to seeing what you might share. Your photos are intriguing!
Welcome to Substack.