Originally from Edinburgh, Scotland, I began my artistic journey at Leith School of Art, completing an Art Foundation Course before accepting my place on BA Fine Art: Painting at Camberwell College of Arts. My figurative oil paintings explore physical barriers in everyday life— a window, a wall, an entrance. These structures don’t just separate spaces; they define what can and cannot be seen. My paintings act as windows themselves, offering glimpses into other people’s lives. Each scene is composed to suggest a before, an after, and a suspended present.
At the heart of my work is a sense of quiet intrusion. Figures are often shown from behind, unaware of being watched, placing the viewer in a voyeuristic role, observing something private and just out of reach. By focusing on the ordinary, I resist a culture obsessed with spectacle, giving weight to unnoticed moments and everyday rituals.
My process is investigative. Drawing from books, online archives, and ambiguous found photographs, I assemble clues like a detective. Search terms such as barrier, pursuit, and evade guide my image selection. Recently, I have begun incorporating thermographic imagery, not only for its abstract painterly potential but for its connection to surveillance and detection. Thermograms, which capture heat rather than light, speak directly to my themes of pursuit and visibility.
Each composition is carefully constructed, borrowing from the language of film stills. Like a single frame from a larger narrative, each painting is rehearsed and selective, revealing certain details while concealing others. This balance between clarity and ambiguity creates tension, where the mundane becomes unsettling or surreal. Humour softens the unease and adds complexity to the scenes.
My work invites viewers to become both bystander and key witness. It is a world shaped by distance, suggestion, and the slow, deliberate act of looking.
