I love to walk. Admittedly we have a dog so it's not like I have a choice but even if we hadn't adopted him, I would still need to get out there. To plod along the coast path, scramble over the rocks, stare at the sea and the vast skies. To watch the birds and be in the weather, not just peering at it from inside. On those rare occasions I don't, or can't get out, the day feels all wrong and I struggle to settle down to working in the studio.
My work is a direct reflection of these daily walks - the shapes, colour, pattern and textures are always changing, never constant (like the weather) although the landscape remains more or less the same.
I record what I see in a small sketchbook I keep in my pocket or as a photo or video clip. I collect all these images together and then work them up in to drawings and paintings using different mediums and techniques. After an edit I take motifs and sections from these drawings and create my textile designs. I mostly work in the traditional way drawing repeating designs by hand, although I am increasingly using digital design for this part of the process as well. I then make film positives that I expose on to silk screens or hand cut stencils from which I can directly print on to fabric. Most of my work is printed on natural unbleached linen, I like its neutral tones and the texture, its strength and durability. Linen also has a strong historical association with Fife although sadly nearly all of the mills closed a generation ago and it is no longer produced here in volume.