CURRENT Exhibition
The following paintings are currently being exhibited at The Gallery at Laurieston near Castle Douglas in Dumfries & Galloway.
If you are interested in any of these paintings, you can visit the gallery to see them in person or contact the gallery for more information.
My Inspiration
I live on the Rhins of Galloway, a peninsula in southern Scotland which gives us access to many local beaches, each with their own character. I often grab my sketchbook when I head down to the shore to record those fleeting impressions of sand, sea and sky. Sometimes it’s the waves or skies that grab my attention, other times it’s all about what’s happening at my feet.

From seashore to abstract
The Shoreline and Wilderness Road pieces are inspired by the long stretch of sand at Port Logan where the pebbles shift with each new tide and the upper shoreline is full of natural and man-made finds. Shells, driftwood, pebbles and crunchy dried seaweed compete for space with old netting and brightly coloured frayed rope, bricks worn smooth, nuggets of tumbled glass and (sadly) lots of sea-washed discarded plastic.
I see paths and lines everywhere – rivulets of water coming down the beach, cracks in rocks, stripes on shells, strands of seaweed, the ridges in the sand from the receding waves.
These observations form the foundation for the work I create back in the studio, where I use the inspiration of sketches and foraged shoreline treasures to develop my ideas and abstract the essential elements to create something new.
The natural tones in the Shoreline paintings have developed into stronger, more vivid colours in the two Wilderness Road paintings, but both capturing the lines, cracks and rivulets that captured my interest at the time.
Capturing Light
Another of my fascinations is capturing light – whether that is a shaft of sunlight on the sea, the eerie quality of moonlight or the way it is filtered through leaves and branches in woodland. Of course it gets filtered through my imagination along the way to create a colourful and sometimes other-worldly atmosphere.
Respecting the Sea
Right at the end of our peninsula, you get to the Mull of Galloway, a prominent headland at the southern tip of the Rhins. The sea is doing its best to erode the small strip of land that connects East and West Tarbert Bays and it’s clear that one day it will succeed and finish the job of making the Mull into an island.
The winter storms get violent here and we are frequently cut off when a storm coincides with bad weather. I love to watch the waves crashing onto shore (from a safe distance) and it always inspires me to try and capture that motion and energy on the canvas.
Sea fever, acrylic on canvas
PREVIOUS Exhibitions
Mull of Galloway Open Studios | July 2022 |
Spring Fling Open Studios | June 2022 |
Spinning a Yarn, The Yellow Door, Dumfries | Oct 2021 |
Mull of Galloway Open Studios | Sep 2020 |
Mull of Galloway Open Studios | Jul 2020 |
Spring Fling Open Studios | Oct 2020 |
Spring Fling Open Studios | May 2020 |
Spring Show, The Gallery at Laurieston | Feb 2020 |
Spring Fling Open Studios | May 2019 |
Mull of Galloway Open Studios | Aug/Sep 2019 |
“An Explosion of Colour” group exhibition, Harbour Cottage Gallery, Kirkudbright | Aug 2018 |
Lifeboat Week Open Studio, Portpatrick | Aug 2017 |
Creative Whithorn Art & Craft Trail | Jul 2017 |
“Down the Road” group exhibition, Kirkudbright Tollbooth and Art Centre | Oct 2016 |
Lifeboat Week Open Studio, Portpatrick | Aug 2016 |
Creative Whithorn Art & Craft Trail | Jul 2016 |
“Land, Sea & Light” group exhibition, Ross Gallery, Stranraer | Jun 2016 |
“Pilgrimage” solo exhibition, Whithorn Trust Visitor Centre, Whithorn | May 2016 |
Creative Whithorn Art & Craft Trail | Jul 2015 |

SF at Home Day 4: Spring 2020 Collection
A look at my Spring 2020 paintings

SF at Home Day 3: Giving something back
I’m saying thank you to my subscribers with a thank you giveaway. Sign up now and you’ll be automatically entered.

SF at Home Day 2: A fusion of silk, paper and colour
I’m sharing the finished results of my silk papermaking experiments.

SF At Home Day 1: Lockdown – a time for experimenting
May 22nd would normally start the Spring Fling weekend, but this year things have moved online.