Arboreal

Work completed in 2024.

First exhibited as solo exhibition 'Arboreal Realms: on the margins' at Inverness Creative Academy May - June 2024.

Next exhibiting as 'Arboreal', at the Open Space Vault gallery in Grantown-on-Spey. Postponed until 2025 due to unforseen essential maintenance at the gallery space.

As a collection, these woodland themed paintings aim to immerse the viewer in arboreal realms; to be in awe of places where trees (which can span several human generations) are allowed to colonise and regenerate, to grow, to age and to rest as dead wood that supports other life. A wealth of intricate detail, connectivity and history can hide beneath these ageing canopies. These arboreal realms can feel like sanctuaries that are awe-inspiring, grounding, refreshing and uplifting. They will hopefully be here for many future generations to be inspired by too.

Native woodlands occupy a tiny fraction of Scotland. Those that remain have struggled to regenerate since deer, sheep and rhododendron replaced people managing woods locally. Fortunately the patient and pioneering work of early reforestation projects and more recent rewilding initiatives offer a more optimistic future for small areas of native woodland across Scotland. These works are a celebration of uniquely different woodland places across Highland.