What first brought you to Edinburgh Printmakers?
The majority of my work in my degree show at Edinburgh College of Art were etchings, and I sold so well (mainly the coloured flower ones rather than the landscapes) I needed to print more to meet the demand.
How did you first get into printmaking?
It was part of the Drawing & Painting course in second and third year at Edinburgh College of Art.
How do you find working at the Edinburgh Printmakers studio?
Amazing! Beautiful studio. I love the openness of it and working alongside so many other artists.
What is your artistic research process?
I mainly draw what I see in front of me, so there’s not much research. In the very few times when I have had to do research, I’ve usually been able to find what I need online.
Your work often captures the beauty of ordinary things. What draws you to certain landscapes and objects you depict?
I’m definitely drawn to big landscapes, not so interested in isolated details. I like seeing how everything fits together and what patterns emerge. How the shapes of clouds mirror the folds of hills or if a group of trees match a line of fences. How space is created. How light and shadows highlight details. I like Edinburgh because of the way it sits in its landscape.
Still-lives or flower studies are a sort of relief from landscapes. I get to play with everything I like about the outdoors: shape, texture, and light (sometimes colour) but I can do it in the comfort of my own home! I recreate ordinary things because that’s what I have; though I do like drawing amazing objects in museums, especially anything obviously handcrafted: ancient pottery or baskets, containers made from shells or gourds. Not so interested in too ornate, twiddly stuff!
You capture incredible detail and texture in your work. Are these mark making decisions planned from the beginning or are they added as you go along?
I guess they are, i.e. intrinsic to the original concept. My drawing has always been linear which is why I took to etching. Within the shape of things I do like the detail – I enjoy trying to pin it down.
What’s next for your printmaking practice?
Well, I’m trying to loosen up my mark-making – trying to allow for a bit of happenstance, to being less in control of the outcome. Not entirely sure it’s the way to go for me but I really enjoy the work of artists who work in that way.
What other artists inspire you?
Charles Keeping, Victor Ambrus, Van Gogh, Frances Walker, Kathe Kollwitz, Edward Hopper, Norman Akroyd, William Kentridge, Christine Sloman, Jenny Martin, Sue Shields, Paul Furneaux, Lucy Jones …
