At the heart of much of my work lies the idea of 'Nostos' (a Greek word which loosely translates as ‘the ache of not being at home’).  Home is more than just a physical location; it's a symbolic or psychological space - a metaphoric or imagined ideal. I try to navigate between the two.  It’s an ongoing dialogue between ideas of home, isolation, and solitude.

The landscape here in New Zealand has such a connection to Scotland. There’s a similar haunting beauty, especially in the South Island. The light here is also very similar to Scotland, I put this down to the moisture in the atmosphere.

I don’t use brushes in the traditional sense. I’ll attack the works vigorously, then obliterate. I put paint on and then destroy it.  I stretch and pull the pigment across the surface. I then work into the pigment and it changes. It’s the trace that gets left behind. I like the idea of chance, allowing it in as part of the creative process. There’s a tension between being in control of the process and letting go.

My work is less about a recognisable reality than it is an attempt to capture a feeling, a fleeting moment. The imagery speaks of things that are there, but not quite there. What is suggested is just as important as what is depicted.