ABOUT TIO
A Scottish artist with a lifelong passion for creative expression
Hello, I am a painter from Scotland with a deep desire to share my vision of this precious gift of life. When I pick up my materials to draw or paint, emotions are stirred and I feel music flows. Skilfully, I begin to weave marks, colours and gestures together, releasing more than an idea. In faith I reach out and find a presence that reaches into my soul. Creativity is a Holy partnership.
Art has always been a part of my life. The art of story telling is often spoken in words, but there is a way to tell them with lines, tone, and colours.
A Life Shaped by the Scottish Artistic Tradition
I grew up in Edinburgh in a large family. My father was an artist while my mother, also talented, was a fabulous home maker. It was a household bursting at the seams with creative activity. Everyone was busy and we children were left to occupy ourselves. I used my imagination to create games and my hands to make things. That foundation naturally led me to Edinburgh College of Art, where I trained in Drawing and Painting.
Drawing was the backbone of all the training; it was bliss. Two whole days each week drawing from the model. The strong drawing skills, became my language. Never without a sketchbook, always ready to capture something or someone that caught my attention.
Drawing is the way I record my experiences, thoughts and emotions; the search for meaning in all that is seen. To draw is to see deeply the essence of a subject. It is tactile, immediate and honest. It is where an idea begins to take shape and emotions are released.
My Artistic Approach
My work begins with essential intense observation, then moves into interpretation. I look closely at the world around me, the figure, the landscape, the subtle gestures of everyday life, and then allow imagination and memory to influence the final piece.
I work in oil, watercolour, acrylic, and gouache. Each medium gives me a different way to explore tone, colour, and depth. I choose the material that best suits the feeling or atmosphere a piece needs.
My paintings are not meant to replicate reality. They are meant to express an emotional truth.
A Thread Through Every Season
My artistic life has continued through many roles. I have exhibited throughout Scotland and taught drawing through the Open College of the Arts. I have been an artist, a tutor, a mother, and a grandmother. Through every season, drawing and painting have remained the constant thread.
I have always been creating. Always exploring how a moment or a feeling can be transformed into something visual.