Born in Stirling and trained at Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen, the designer, animator, illustrator and sculptor specialises in working with found objects and on various digital platforms
My ‘rust’ illustrations, of which Satisfaction Upon the Heath is an example, are in many ways a product of lockdown. Having previously worked with found objects to produce sculptures, I was forced to think of new ways of making art since I couldn’t travel to look for materials. So I began photographing my collection of driftwood, metal objects, drain covers and other street furniture in order to create digital images. This illustration was created in May using pieces of driftwood I’d previously collected at West Kilbride beach as well as rust textures discovered on my daily walks.
At the time of putting this image together, the reality of lockdown living was beginning to take its toll on my household. This led me to thinking about the different ways in which people have dealt with difficult situations in the past and how, when things got really bad, situations were resolved – sometimes with no winners. I wanted to create a visually striking image with strong, bright colours to counteract what could be seen as a dark and menacing image rather than this one which, I like to think, is a humorous comment on these strange days.
