Lewis and Harris

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.