Displacement, division and dystopia are at the heart of my work. I was born in Northern Ireland then moved to Scotland. Both countries have seen their fair share of socio-political upheaval with the end of the Troubles in Northern Ireland and the schism created by Scotland's Independence Referendum - deep scars on our psyche.

I graduated from the University of Abertay Dundee with a degree in Media, Culture and Society. Studying our interactions, our way of life and the simmering conflicts within it, enhanced my artistic perspective further.

As a young man I moved to Stirling, then Edinburgh before settling as a teacher of Social Subjects in the south west near the border with England. It was here that I began to explore creative visual arts around 2018, first as a photographer and then as a figurative, abstract artist. Seeking an outlet for my artistic impulse, I enrolled as an adult learner in Advanced Higher Art and studied whilst working full time and helping care for my children. Formal education in the arts helped introduce rigour and discipline into my creative output. At this time I was drawn to portraiture due in large part to studying Frank Auerbach. His bold impasto is a technique which is now embedded in my own work. Others who call to me are Jamie Reid, Francis Bacon, Picasso, Basquiat, Eardley, Bomberg, Rothko and De Kooning. In recent years the grounded urban works of Mark Bradford and Anselm Kiefer.

I built a studio in my garage and began to create canvases both large and small in scale. My work is visceral, using abstraction, colour, gestural mark making and texture to help to create layered, chaotic beauty. I predominantly work with oil paint, spray paint, ink and charcoal on canvas and paper. I employ a palette knife like a surgeon to fold paint back thereby creating gouges and fleshy lumps. To enhance a piece I prefer multiple under-paintings and disjointed text to disrupt the eye fleetingly in its comprehension.

I like to experiment leaving paintings outside in harsh weather or pouring white spirit on the canvas and lighting it in order to reveal conflict in the unpredictable markings and texture. At other times I will employ power tools and materials more suitable for metal fabrication and wood working.

In 2025 my artistic career progressed beyond the studio when I was included in two group exhibitions in London at Zari Gallery and Boomer Gallery. I was a finalist in both the Zari Art and Photography competition.

My goal is to use my work as inspiration for critical discussion and positive social change in a dystopian world.

Upcoming Exhibitions

Indra Gallery + Art.Fait, Euphoria, 15th of August 2026

Past Exhibitions

Zari Gallery, Art and Photography Competition Finalist Exhibition, 2025

Boomer Gallery, The Dark Side Exhibition, 2025

Zari Gallery, Echoes of Expression, London, 2025

Gracefield Arts Center, Dumfries, 2022

Yellow Door Art Gallery, Dumfries, 2021