Based in Deerness, Orkney, my painting is about place – the cliff paths and shore lines I have walked and paddled by sea kayak in Orkney, and the places my Mackay family ancestors knew from Sutherland to Wester Ross.

My work is very process driven. I try to allow the properties of the materials to lead the way, and mostly choose water based media, sometimes incorporating the soil, clay or peat, sand into the surface or using found ‘tools’ for mark making.

In the studio I try to capture the sense of a place, using the energy and immediacy of the quick sketches I make outdoors though print, collage and painting.

photos Thibault Gras at grass-shoots.com