The first sketches I make back in the studio are from memory – the slope of the hill or mass of the mountain and horizon line.

In Sutherland I spend most of my time absorbing the place rather than sketching, noting the things that have the most impact – the rugged mass of Ben Loyal heading west, the pink and grey striations of cliffs at Ceannabeinne , erratics and horizon lines, the colour of the sand and the way the rocks erode. Collected grit, pebbles, peat sand and water will later work their way into work in the studio. Grass, twigs leaves and botanical elements are collected for colour and shape.