It Always Starts Outside I came across a quote by the artist Joan Mitchell recently that has stuck with me: “I paint from remembered landscapes that I carry with me… I could never mirror nature, I would more like to paint what it leaves with me.” It resonates so deeply because it describes exa ctly how I work as a Scottish artist . I c arry Scotland’s wild, beautiful places with me wherever I go (the light on a loch, the sweep of an Orcadian bay, the bruised purple of a winte

More Than a Photograph We all have a photograph somewhere on our phone that we can’t quite bring ourselves to delete. It might be a stretch of coastline visited every summer, the view from a honeymoon walk, or the quiet horizon seen from a holiday cottage window. The image itself might not be technically perfect (the light slightly blown out, the horizon not quite straight) but it holds something much more important than precision. Commissioning a Custom Painting It holds a

There is a painting on a wall somewhere that will stop you mid-sentence. It has texture you want to run your fingers across, colour that shifts as the light moves through your room, and a presence that pulls you in. That painting will be an original , and print could never quite satisfy in the same way. 7 Reasons to Buy Original Artwork   1. The Aura of the Original We live in a world flooded with images. Social media, print-on-demand services, and high-street retailers have

For many collectors, commissioning a painting marks a confident shift in their sense of style and taste.  Buying finished artwork is often instinctive: you fall in love with something that already exists. C ommissioning a painting, by contrast, is an act of collaboration . It is deliberate, intentional, personal, and planned. An art commission begins not with a canvas, but with either a desire for a thoughtful gift to celebrate a significant birthday/anniversary or (more usua

The Scottish Landscape Inside the Home Image from Homes & Interiors Scotland Walk into almost any Scottish home and you’ll notice something subtle but consistent: a deep connection to the land. Not just in the materials (the stone fireplaces, the wooden floors, the wool throws) but in the art on the walls.  Landscape painting has long been a quiet thread running through Scottish home decor , reflecting where we live, where we’re from, or where we want to return. This is more

Buying original art can feel both thrilling and intimidating, especially if you’re drawn to Scottish landscape paintings, but aren’t quite sure how to choose the “right” one. I’ve spoken with so many people who love looking at paintings, but worry they’re not “qualified” to buy them. They’re afraid of choosing the wrong size, the wrong colours, or a painting that doesn’t “mean enough.” But here’s the quiet truth: the best art buying decisions are based not on rules, but on co

A landscape painting is never just a view. At first glance, it might appear to be a familiar stretch of coastline, a silhouette of hills, or a winter field under a pale Scottish sky. But every landscape painting is the result of a series of intentional choices about colour, brushwork, composition, and how much reality to reveal or withhold. These decisions form a visual language. And like any language, it is used to tell a story. Understanding the many styles of landscape pai

There’s a special kind of thrill that comes from bringing home a new painting. Whether you’ve just fallen for a windswept seascape or finally commissioned an artist to capture your favourite bit of Scotland’s coastline, the excitement is real. Then comes the slightly trickier part: where on earth do you put it? People often assume the challenge is matching a painting to the sofa or waiting until they redo the whole room, but placing a painting is much more playful than that.

Why Life’s Milestones Deserve More Than Traditional Gifts I want you to close your eyes, and think of the best gift you’ve ever been given. Aside from the joyful childhood delight of a new sledge or a longed-for toy on Christmas morning, I would be willing to bet that the best gift you can remember receiving as an adult is one which was personal, thoughtful and meaningful specifically to you. Not bulk-bought, mass-produced or generic, but one which was chosen to celebrate you

As a Scottish landscape artist I have delivered finished paintings to houses full of bustle, dogs barking and children running around. When I return years later, the painting is usually still in the same spot, woven into daily life. That is when you realise that original art has a different rhythm to everything else in a home. It stays, it witnesses, and eventually it is passed on. Paintings that began life as scenes of mountains, lochs or coastlines end up woven into the li

The Timeless Appeal of Scottish Landscape Art Thanks to my solo exhibition of Scottish landscape paintings at Hotel du Vin, I’ve recently spent a lot of time talking to guests and clients from overseas about Scottish art . It’s made me reflect on what it is about our landscape that evokes such a visceral emotional response. The Power of Place: Why Scotland Captures the Imagination Collectors from the United States and Europe often tell me how much they enjoy taking a paintin

People often assume you need deep knowledge (or a big wallet) to start an art collection. But the truth is much simpler and much more joyful: your art collection begins the moment you choose one piece you genuinely love.

As my oldest son has just moved to Canada, thoughts about “home”, “belonging” and “identity” have very much been in my mind recently. It’s reminded me of when I moved to North America as a teenager; the adventure, the excitement, the challenges and the sharpened sense of where you originally came from. A landscape you barely noticed as a child suddenly becomes the place your mind drifts to when you are stuck on a slow moving bus in a different country. A certain quality of li

This blog takes you behind the scenes of how I turn those stories into bespoke artwork. Whether you’ve commissioned art before or are quietly considering it for the first time, I hope this guide removes any mystery and shows how warm, collaborative, and enjoyable the process can be.

Scotland is home to some of the world’s most breathtaking landscapes : from dramatically rugged, purple-tinged mountain ranges to windswept, isolated beaches. These places make extraordinary subjects for art because they hold emotion, memory and storytelling in every shift of light. Scotland Is an Artist’s Dream Why Scottish Landscapes Make Such Captivating Art As a landscape artist, I feel deeply attuned to Scotland’s wildest and most remote places, its beaches, mountains an

The world has felt heavy lately.

Behind the scenes of being an artist... the bit no one talks about! 😂 My least favourite part of the job FOR SURE is washing up painty...

Very excited to share that my new collection of paintings "Land of Light and Colour" is now available to see both in person at Hotel du...

There is a familiar trope about the angst-ridden artist expressing their inner turmoil through their heartfelt artwork; tears splashing...

“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” Pablo Picasso In a world overflowing with fast-paced fury, digital overwhelm and mass-produced cheap tat, there’s something quietly powerful about owning an original piece of art. Not a mass-produced print, not a reproduction, but something made by hand, layered with brushstrokes, textures, and energy. It totally changes a space. It’s the first thing I look for in any room: Airbnbs, hotels, restaurants and even dentis