OBJECTS
Two Angels (2018-20)
oil on canvas 41cm x 31cm A still life considering our relationship with nature. One angel is sparkling and 'perfect', the other awkward and hand-made. Both figures inhabit a landscape of floral wallpaper. (from The Story of Flight exhibition 2020) |
Sitting Duck (2019-20)
oil on canvas 56cm x 66cm Based on an ongoing series of paintings about 'wallpaper' and the premise that much of our experience is viewed and is something that happens elsewhere or to others. As a young child, my bedroom wallpaper was of illustrations of war planes, battleships and tanks. With hindsight, it seems an odd theme for a child's room and I realise now that, surrounded by all that military hardware night after night, I was a bit of a sitting duck. (from The Story of Flight exhibition 2020) |
Round and Round (2019-20)
wheels, tyres, cogs Operating out of their engineering workshop in Causewayhead, Stirling, the Barnwell Brothers made the first powered flight in Scotland. Their use of pram wheels on that first plane resonated with me. Thinking about how the invention of the wheel and subsequently flight, had made the world a smaller proposition and that now, we are having to deal with some of the consequences, I set out to create a ‘re-cycled’ world from discarded wheels. (from The Story of Flight exhibition 2020) |
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Organisational Behaviour (2014-2019)
reconstructed book A gun made from the pages of a management textbook (titled Organisational Behaviour). The work proposes the impact of the word as a weapon. (from the Story of Flight exhibition 2020) |
Push Me Pull You (2013, remade 2020)
cardboard, PVA, pins Push Me Pull You is based around the notion of 'care' in the broadest sense. It is part of a number of works made from improbable materials and suggests a fine line between empowerment and lack of control. 'Push Me Pull You' was originally made for the 'Islands' exhibition - an installation with Hanging Together at Gallery North, North College, Glasgow in 2013. (remade for The Story of Flight exhibition 2020) |
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Girl and Bird (2016-18)
oil on canvas 31cm x 26cm A still life of reproductions of works by Degas and Tuymans. (from The Story of Flight exhibition 2020) Flag 1 (2018)
oil on canvas 41cm x 36 cm |
Treat 2012
tobacco, spray adhesive, foil tray In an act of bad taste I created small 'treats', in the form of dogs made out of tobacco (dogs were used in the past to test the impacts of smoking). At the point that the work was made and exhibited smoking in public places had effectively been outlawed in public places in Scotland. Exhibited as part of ‘Criminal’ - installation by Hanging Together at the Changing Room, Stirling in 2012 |
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Provenance (3 paintings) 2012
oil on MDF board 28cm x 32cm (each) My starting point for this series is the idea of value. The work is a series of ‘portraits’ of objects that are no longer wanted. Sourced primarily from charity shops, the objects are deemed to have little or no financial value or historic relevance. Through their presentation as the subjects of paintings they now take on an an importance that perhaps marks their place in time. Provenance was made for "Criminal' installation with Hanging Together at the Changing Room, Stirling in 2012 |
Fleet 2014
reformed found objects (shirt, shoe, cup and spoon, shaving brush, book
A recurring motif in testaments of those faced with the challenge of illness is that it becomes a journey. Strathcarron Hospice supports patients, their families and friends on that journey. For this installation, I made a small fleet of boats out of everyday objects as a reminder of the journey that a loved one is on; a more universal thought about all our fleeting journeys or simply, a quirky ‘find’ for visitors to the grounds of the hospice.
Fleet was installed in the conservatory in the grounds of Strathcarron Hospice as part of the Hanging Together installation, Strathcarron, October 2014.
reformed found objects (shirt, shoe, cup and spoon, shaving brush, book
A recurring motif in testaments of those faced with the challenge of illness is that it becomes a journey. Strathcarron Hospice supports patients, their families and friends on that journey. For this installation, I made a small fleet of boats out of everyday objects as a reminder of the journey that a loved one is on; a more universal thought about all our fleeting journeys or simply, a quirky ‘find’ for visitors to the grounds of the hospice.
Fleet was installed in the conservatory in the grounds of Strathcarron Hospice as part of the Hanging Together installation, Strathcarron, October 2014.
Fury 2004
oil on board
4 panels, 30cm x 28cm (each)
Fury suggests the creation of a potential narrative told through objects, picking up on what is a recurring theme for me - about how we imbue inanimate objects with meaning. The individual images link to suggest a narrative and the fury of the title refers to the frustration surrounding or arising from a life created and lived through the accrual of 'things'. I guess it’s a bit of a swipe at what we might see as indicators of success.
oil on board
4 panels, 30cm x 28cm (each)
Fury suggests the creation of a potential narrative told through objects, picking up on what is a recurring theme for me - about how we imbue inanimate objects with meaning. The individual images link to suggest a narrative and the fury of the title refers to the frustration surrounding or arising from a life created and lived through the accrual of 'things'. I guess it’s a bit of a swipe at what we might see as indicators of success.
Where a Love Lies 2003
acrylic, fabric, steel, calico, eggshell, plaster, wood, plastic on board
An exploration of different states of love - a visual representation of the archetypes of love - the fragility of love, the madness of love, passionate love, conditional love, parental love, forbidden love.
The title reference is that, in the extreme, all of the above states potentially become anathema to love.
acrylic, fabric, steel, calico, eggshell, plaster, wood, plastic on board
An exploration of different states of love - a visual representation of the archetypes of love - the fragility of love, the madness of love, passionate love, conditional love, parental love, forbidden love.
The title reference is that, in the extreme, all of the above states potentially become anathema to love.
A Heart Felt Loss (2004)
plaster, canvas, wooden, transfer print on board
A development from an initial piece ‘Wish’ made for an installation - Memento Mori, with Hanging Together in Greenside Cemetery, Alloa (1994).
‘Wish’ was an exploration of society’s attitude towards death as we approached the millenium. the work considered notions of personal loss felt by the death of a loved one and the paradox between the range of emotions and the necessary practicalities that such a loss incurs. It balanced the very emotional response that as individuals we experience with the very practical way in which we have created custom, tradition and practice to deal with the management of death. The finality of death elevates the importance of tangible prompts (photos, objects, etc) of and belonging to the deceased.
plaster, canvas, wooden, transfer print on board
A development from an initial piece ‘Wish’ made for an installation - Memento Mori, with Hanging Together in Greenside Cemetery, Alloa (1994).
‘Wish’ was an exploration of society’s attitude towards death as we approached the millenium. the work considered notions of personal loss felt by the death of a loved one and the paradox between the range of emotions and the necessary practicalities that such a loss incurs. It balanced the very emotional response that as individuals we experience with the very practical way in which we have created custom, tradition and practice to deal with the management of death. The finality of death elevates the importance of tangible prompts (photos, objects, etc) of and belonging to the deceased.
Gift 2005
biscuit tins, acrylic, transfer medium
Developed from works about the impact on the visual landscape that our industrial developments have had, ‘Gift’ provided an alternative aesthetic to the notion of the picturesque/ chocolate box image of landscape.
Exhibited as part of the Work in Progress exhibition at the Changing Room gallery, Stirling in 2005
biscuit tins, acrylic, transfer medium
Developed from works about the impact on the visual landscape that our industrial developments have had, ‘Gift’ provided an alternative aesthetic to the notion of the picturesque/ chocolate box image of landscape.
Exhibited as part of the Work in Progress exhibition at the Changing Room gallery, Stirling in 2005
My Favourite Shirt 1998
calico, aluminium, photographs, paint
My Favourite Shirt presented articles of clothing (replica garments contructed from calico) as a series of archetypes, portraits of their customary identity, which when taken out of context adopt a more ambivalent meaning, in this instance alluding to themes around family, patriarchy, gender and identity.
The garments were anonymous and their presentation was suggestive of shop window displays.
The piece was an installation created for the Changing Room gallery in Stirling - itself a former shop.
calico, aluminium, photographs, paint
My Favourite Shirt presented articles of clothing (replica garments contructed from calico) as a series of archetypes, portraits of their customary identity, which when taken out of context adopt a more ambivalent meaning, in this instance alluding to themes around family, patriarchy, gender and identity.
The garments were anonymous and their presentation was suggestive of shop window displays.
The piece was an installation created for the Changing Room gallery in Stirling - itself a former shop.