Oil Paintings

The size of my paintings has grown over the last 15 years. While continually being inspired by the standing stones of Orkney, I found that the typical stretched canvas curtailed the full expression I felt. Quite accidentally, I began to paint on canvas alone, nailed to a flat white wall. Pulling it off a roll allowed me to expand my design and use of colour. It also allowed me to paint stone portraits that were uncharacteristically flexible!

I began to explore using oil sticks (oil bars) that had been gifted to me. Fortunately for me, they were R &F oil sticks and were beautiful to work with. These “pigment sticks” and the unstretched canvas have become my chosen materials. I love the freedom of letting the paint take me where I think I was heading. The oil sticks are blended on the canvas after being “crayoned” on the canvas. The colours and I flow in between the charcoal plan I begin with. Clouds emerge and land slides into place. Light and colour slip into reflection.

It was pure serendipity that I painted a 44 x 5 ft view of the Orkney island of Hoy. It was my main view for the first six months of winter fulltime life in Orkney. This long project warmed me along with the coal fire, while staying in the late Sylvia Wishart’s cottage and studio. “Moonrise, Sunset, and Hoy in the Middle” is my most popular work. I giclee it into a smaller version on both paper and canvas in limited signed editions. It is also the only way to get a clear view of the geography of Hoy view, as it provides a proportional panorama that is larger than a photo could provide.

The original large finished pieces are either hung from wood strips like a banner, or nailed or bolted to a wall. I accept commissions for pieces larger than 6 feet in either direction. Usually, I have 3 or 4 large pieces available onsite.