Silver leaf, moths and mending
It's been a slow spring here in Orkney, with the cold dragging its heels even as the light floods back and the evenings open up. But memories of the extraordinary blue-and-silver days of snow and hard frost we had back in February and March are coming back in the...
How to Hold a Cloud
"How to Hold a Cloud" is a new short piece of writing which, along with the accompanying drawing (shown below) is included in the new issue of Dark Mountain, Issue 19: Requiem. I'm delighted to be alongside writers such as Jay Griffiths. Kerri ni Dochartaigh and Nancy...
The Clearing out now in paperback
The Clearing is now available in a beautiful paperback edition. It positively sparkles with gold! I recently had a chance to speak to and thank Sophie Harris, whose beautiful design for the cover has garnered such lavish praise from so many people. It was...
Time, boredom and that 4am feeling
When I was a kid, stuck in the family caravan in the Trossachs on yet another rainy weekend I’d get fed up of reading or drawing or staring out the window, and complain to my parents of boredom. I can remember my mother answering briskly “If you’re bored it’s...
Connecting through the digital ether
When The Clearing was published this March it turned out to be just days before a full lockdown was announced. Seeing the whole world turned upside down by the pandemic kept some perspective on things, but it seemed at the time a disastrous moment to bring out...
Watching the winter skies
At this time of year in Orkney the light fades so fast it seems to start getting dark just after lunch. As the Winter Solstice draws near we’re switching lights on by 3.30pm. By 4 o'clock in the afternoon the windows have become black mirrors. We draw the...
Residency in a shipping container
This month's big excitement was my first trip beyond Orkney's shores since March. I was fortunate to be able to finally take up my Scottish Emerging Writer's Residency at the wonderful Cove Park Artists' Centre in Argyll. I'd been due to go in June, but of...
“FLOW” THE MOVIE LAUNCHED!
A few weeks ago I returned to the Balfour Hospital to record some video for Orkney's virtual Doors Open Day. The finished video was launched for the DOD weekend of Sept 26/27 and it's still available on my Vimeo. In it, I explain a bit about this project and how it...
When the road ahead is blocked, take the scenic route
I am often asked about the fact that I am both a writer and a visual artist, and how these two creative practices fit together. I was asked this question again at the lovely book launch event at the new "Threshing Floor Theatre" that was held this weekend (see pic). I...
WATCHING WATER
I've been working on a new series of drawings and paintings that continue my fascination with watching how water moves in, through and around the landscapes and shores of Orkney. Here's a selection of new pieces, and as the work progresses I'll keep adding more.Sea...
The Clearing
I've been an artist for many years, and writing has grown out of that creative space. My first book, “The Clearing” is a memoir about ‘spaces between’ and what may be learned in them. As I clear the family home after the death of both my parents, the memories held...
FLOW
“Flow” is a 30 metre-long mural which I was commissioned to create for the new Balfour Hospital in Kirkwall. It runs along a curved wall and internal glazing between the hospital entrance hub and the two GP practices that are now based within the hospital. Inspired by...