INTRODUCTION
Just a few months prior to lockdown in early 2020, Morningside Gallery and I found each other online and we began discussions about how we might collaborate. With me on Vancouver Island, BC, several thousands of miles from Edinburgh, many would have thought the distance between us might have been sufficiently challenging at the best of times. Little did we know what turmoil lay ahead of us and how creative we would have to be to pursue a partnership. However, I am delighted to say that a shared vision and determination brought it to fruition. Undeterred, the gallery created exciting new ways of bringing work to its audience and I used the fact that I was unable to be in Scotland, to travel in my imagination via my paintbrush instead. All of us responded differently to the challenges and changes that the last two years presented. While being very sensitive to the fact that many were experiencing difficulty, I was fortunately able to take refuge in my studio and find purpose and inspiration in this new topsy turvy world. It may seem strange to some but I immediately felt very animated by the enormity of events and the pivoting redefinition of normal. It filled me with creative energy and a conviction that art can heal, it can improve our lives in difficult times and engaging with art can be highly beneficial rather than frivolous. I was born and brought up in Glasgow and it was the ornate Victorian architecture there that first inspired my interest in cityscape. However, Edinburgh has also been a visually fascinating city to me since childhood and I have enjoyed featuring it in my work over the years. This time around though, my perspective has had to shift. I have painted this beautiful city from afar, bringing a deep sense of appreciation and longing to each piece and trying to offer others a feeling of escape through what I create. Each painting has brought me closer to the city and has helped me to understand it a little better. The pandemic forced us to physically distance, isolate and live much of life digitally. This has left many yearning for more tactile, in-person experiences. In this new collection, I have aimed to tantalise the viewer with surface intrigue that takes us beyond the initial impact of the composition and the colour. While I do see this body of work as cohesive, it is also important to me that each painting is absolutely distinct. Each has been given its own individual treatment and upon closer inspection, you may notice little swatches of tartan or crochet peeking through alongside embedded treasures and found objects. Contrasting textures have been created placing crumbled surfaces next to high gloss metal
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