The Middle of Elsewhere

I started my en plein air journey at a strange time. A time we almost can forget. When being in the park was restricted to an hour. When a police car drove across the field to tell a family not to have a picnic.

Outdoor space became so precious. It was a time of emotional paradox. Relief beside anxiety. Fear beside relaxation. Freedom beside restriction.

I would try to return to places that seemed to disappear. Always changing - trees falling, pathways flooding with ferns or blankets of bluebells. There was comfort to be found in this nature, in uncertainty, a reminder of change and hope. “Spring cannot be cancelled” - David Hockney

I was lifted to a very nostalgic time as I sat in the woods alone. As a child, I would walk alone through trees, rivers, and fields of the Ayrshire countryside. Painting trees with glitter nail polish and collecting grass seeds or tadpoles in jam jars. There is a profound joy in staying still in nature, as wildlife forgets your presence. From this place of peace, I found my confidence again, ready to return to the world when it would let me. I was plucked from the wilds of Pollok Park, only to return with a Sky Arts film crew, to paint under a tree in the rain. Pure joy. This body of work is displayed together, side by side, revealing the two surreal worlds that en plein air painting took me to. The small pieces painted in 2022 and responded to in 2026. The smaller pieces hold a strong memory of place and the larger works respond with colour, memory and abstraction. Creating works that are rooted in reality and lifted elsewhere.

Let art take you to another place. All you need to do is stand still long enough.

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