I believe that at times of conflict it is the duty of artists to express the horrors of war. The works of Picasso and Goya are notable examples in this respect. My painting entitled ‘Gaza’ has been painted in this tradition. My painting aims to capture the utter horror and despair experienced by a man holding the dead body of his loved one. To emphasise the emotion in this painting, I have used simple colours and brushstrokes, whilst avoiding inconsequential details that would distract from the depth of feeling. Although this painting was done from my imagination, I have seen a similar image.
I studied at Edinburgh College of Art at both graduate (1964-1968) and post-graduate (1968-1969) levels and continued my post-graduate studies at the Royal College of Art (1969-1972), where I was won the Henriques Award for best women graduate. Most recently I won the Edinburgh Printmakers Publishing Award for my painting ‘Love’ at the 196th Annual Exhibition (2022) of the Royal Scottish Academy. I am an elected professional member of Visual Arts Scotland.
My work has been shown in two solo exhibitions at the Arusha Gallery (Edinburgh) and in numerous mixed exhibitions, beginning with the Edinburgh Open 100 in 1967. More recently my work has been included in mixed exhibitions at the Royal Academy, London, the Royal Scottish Academy, The Pastel Society, the Paisley Art Institute, Grayson’s Art Club (2nd exhibition), the New Light Art Exhibition and at a number of exhibitions held by Visual Arts Scotland.
- the artist