Personal recollections of my natural homeland in the Scottish Highlands and upbringing in central Africa, specifically Malawi and Zimbabwe, inform the eclectic abstract paintings, characterised by an aesthetic drawn from African and Western cultural memories.
Inspired by the colourful wall paintings of the Ndebele women of southern Africa who decorate the walls of their homes with abstract symbols to express themes of cultural resistance, continuity, aspiration and celebration, I find my art practice an amalgam of what I perceive as a dual cultural identity I can best describe as my inescapable ‘Two Tribes’.
There appears to me to be an affinity between the African tribal and Scottish clan systems, and just as the Northern Ndebele were displaced in a Zulu diaspora, I find a relevance in Scottish clan history with the Highland clearances and exodus of dispossessed people. This leads me to be interested in concepts of ‘displacement’, and material choices become important in the making of the work.
The square format favoured relates to a love of textiles, kilts and quilts that so clearly identify both tribes and clans, and I enjoy the concept that by being able to hang the work in any orientation the painting may offer up a surprising new perspective.