…I am an artist working in alternative photography, mixed media and on social group projects to explore connection between people, place and time. This includes the relevance of cultural traditions in modern society. I use natural and found objects encountered while walking the magical space where land meets sea or swimming in the loch by our peatbank.

WILD STUDIO

My studio is as much in these places of wild wind and raging seas as it is inside because the special qualities of light and the access to organics suits my observational and  photographic processes.

Time and place are reflected with each season: 

. altered pallets of colour and species

. changing weather

. crofting jobs with related traditions, tools and vocabulary.

Each one is an inspiration and challenge in its own way. Each one sparks new conversations and connection with community through shared values and roles. This fragile relationship with time, people, growth cycles and the resulting ethereal nature of my subjects is part of the reason for my unconventional use of photographic paper.

COLOURS OF THE LAND

Like the environment the paper is exposed in, my images are fleeting. They gradually burst into life as the pinks, yellows and mauves of early summer on the moor and after fixing remain as autumnal browns and golds. Gradually I have learned that in order to convey the vibrancy of what I see, I have to embrace digital technology to scan and exhibit work as short videos or printed image. When printed, colours are matched to what was seen during exposure. Sometimes I will use layering and digital techniques to add my own emotional response. These images are marked DE. The environment around me is fragile but also resilient and responsive to change. It is only right that the next generation chooses which traditions remain or are adapted. However it is comforting that the etherial presence and knowledge of countless generations remains imprinted on the land close enough to the surface to be felt by current islanders and visitors alike. In the same way I hope that no matter what digital responses I make in my art, the etherial essence of Lewis past and present remains in my work.

RESPONDING TO THE FUTURE

 My interest lies in how to embrace essential future progress and still retain the practical wisdom of generations of traditional cultural knowledge and connection to the non-human world. UNESCO terms the connection I speak of as Intangible Cultural Heritage (1) and for twenty years has supported research and investment in promoting it, citing local culture as a means to assist community cohesion and individual confidence building through knowledge of self identity.

(1) https://ich.unesco.org/en/home