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My artistic journey began later in life, as I pursued formal art education in my late 30s while managing professional responsibilities and family obligations. This period of exploration ignited a passion for artistic expression that continues to drive my work today. I have retired from academic life and now work as an independent scholar, dedicating my time fully to art. My works are exhibited both nationally and internationally. I remain committed to supporting art in the community through my social practice, mentorship, and place-making programs, locally and globally. |
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Artist Statement
Embedded within the fabric of my artistic journey is a deep exploration of personal and cultural heritage. Raised and educated amidst Glasgow's inner city, where sectarian tensions and socio-economic divisions run deep, my work reflects the enduring influence of these experiences alongside a family history steeped in intergenerational migration.
Employing a disciplined studio and bodily-responsive practice, alongside an interdisciplinary approach to painting, fosters an interplay across materials, techniques, and the continuum of contemporary and Western art history. This interaction facilitates versatile narrative construction, enabling a re-evaluation, reimagining, and retelling of familial histories rooted in the complexities of my lived experience.
During my doctoral studies, I developed a distinctive 'weaving paint' technique, drawing inspiration from my Celtic background and familial knitting traditions. This method enriches the visual narrative, connecting personal experience, memory, culture, place, and belonging with feminist contemporary art, while adding layers of historical and personal texture and meaning to my work.
Central to my practice are themes of gender, identity, migration, and heritage, shaped by the socio-political landscape of Glasgow's inner city. These themes find expression through an interdisciplinary approach to painting, where each brushstroke, mark, and use of contemporary and traditional materials serve as a conduit for expressing empathy and understanding, bridging personal narratives with broader historical contexts.
Employing a disciplined studio and bodily-responsive practice, alongside an interdisciplinary approach to painting, fosters an interplay across materials, techniques, and the continuum of contemporary and Western art history. This interaction facilitates versatile narrative construction, enabling a re-evaluation, reimagining, and retelling of familial histories rooted in the complexities of my lived experience.
During my doctoral studies, I developed a distinctive 'weaving paint' technique, drawing inspiration from my Celtic background and familial knitting traditions. This method enriches the visual narrative, connecting personal experience, memory, culture, place, and belonging with feminist contemporary art, while adding layers of historical and personal texture and meaning to my work.
Central to my practice are themes of gender, identity, migration, and heritage, shaped by the socio-political landscape of Glasgow's inner city. These themes find expression through an interdisciplinary approach to painting, where each brushstroke, mark, and use of contemporary and traditional materials serve as a conduit for expressing empathy and understanding, bridging personal narratives with broader historical contexts.