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My painting
has been based on ideas derived from science and technology since the
early 1970s. This came about by trying to build up the complexity of my
then abstract paintings. I did not want a too recognisable image and so
I used visuals based on printed circuit boards. See Illogical
Computer . By the mid 70s I laid the
circuit boards
down to produce perspective views as in “Flight
over the Electric City”.
During the 80s as a member
of the Open Circle Group I produced a number of works with composers
and writers which we called “Interaction”.
I have recently returned to this concept producing works such as “Shake
Yer Wig” to the work of Jazz guitarist
Jim Mullen.
In the late 80s I produced a number of bas relief works which were
limited in size because of the techniques I was using and they were
fragile enough to give a transport problem. See "Witness"
This was overcome in 1990 by
realising that acrylic paint would allow
me to work in the round and then stretch the work to produce a flat
piece. See
Screen II. This coincided with a move in my ideas
which became based more on the biological sciences.
In
the 2000s my work started in the biological vein but after buying a
computer in 2003 moved to include my Electric City images. This also
was the start of my digital Painting which has moved from a sketching
method to become a main part of my image output.
Scottish
Painting
As a Scottish artist I have been
involved in a number of artists cooperatives and was a
founding member of the Scottish Artists Union. When I left Glasgow
School of Art in the 1960s there were few private gallery spaces
available in the city. that has now changed dramatically. Galleries
seem to be breeding in this town.
Back in the 70s I remember trying to persuade the organiser of a Munich
artists cooperative to do an exchange exhibition with a Glasgow group
and was told that she could understand Glasgow artists wanting to show
in Germany but why would German artists want to exhibit in Glasgow.
This too has changed and many artists from around the world are happy
to exhibit here.
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