In December 2020, I managed to get away for two weeks undisturbed to the Outer Hebrides of Lewis and Harris. In winter these popular islands are much quieter than their summer crowds but after all the events of last year, they were almost ghostly. As you can see from my two recent collections of paintings, the adventures I had there gallivanting alone really made an impact. It grounded me back to who I am, and deepened my connection to my painting practice. Below is a poem that I wrote to accompany both of these sister collections and the time I had there. My work is often described with poems; an abstracted story for abstracted landscapes.
(To view the paintings inspired by this trip, click on the links to follow - The Lewis Collection and The Harris Collection. And to view the paintings still available, visit the store.)
The wilds whispered,
luring me in.
Sweet nothings
of crashing waves,
peeling along the shore.
Of walking with no intention
just breathing
with the land.
Of that winter light
pure, delicate
and fierce
all within an hour.
Impatient
as ever,
relenting to their calls,
I snuck away.
Lewis
you caught me.
Kept me afloat
in a whirlwind
of life, love
and hard choices.
Harris
you healed me.
Your pink world
and golden soul
I will never forget.
Hopeful
with that newfound light
only nature can bring,
I left again.
But this time
certain
this magic
will be there
for many trips,
and years
to come.
