Shall we get started then?...

Has anyone figured out how to duplicate themselves yet? I'd like to.

It's been a busy week, two weeks. It's fantastic. When you're working for someone else you can inevitably find yourself feeling like you're freewheeling from time to time. Like a passenger in a car. At least that's how I felt. Since beginning down this new path I not only feel like the Driver, but also the Navigator and engine, and wheels. It's very exhilarating. 

I've always been told 'If you don't ask, you don't get'. So in that spirit (one which I'm finding a good fit these days). I've taken some bold steps that perhaps I previously would've shied away from. This boldness has paid off and I've been featured in an article by a local news Website (http://www.insidemoray.com/daniel-proves-that-there-is-life-after-the-black-stuff/) and my work will also featured as Artist of the Month at www.everlongart.com, in July. 

Both these are helping to raise my profile, and have, I realised, raised my awareness that there is so much support  out there, you just have to reach out and take a step towards it. 

In other news, I'm almost ready to submit my application to study Fine Art to Degree level, at UHI in Elgin. I just have to complete the dreaded Personal Statement. Making that step is very important to me, as it will help me fully understand and develop my own 'voice' in this familiar language. 

I completed another Commission last week, and was so happy to see the smiles and enjoyment on their faces. It was a different direction for me, painting a view of their home from the grounds aside it, but it was such a beautiful cottage, and at this time of year it was surrounded by blossom and sunshine. 

I'm continuing to work on non-commissioned work, and this evening will be finding out the results of a competition I've been running on Facebook. This was a vote between a set of photographs I had taken, with the winner being the one with the most likes. A random name generator will then pick the name of the lucky person to win the completed painting based on that photograph. 

 

When can I book my holiday ? 

...and into second gear.

Today was a good day, Ice Cube might've been heard to say, had he been with me.

These last few weeks have had me meeting others in the same initial stages of growing and developing a personal business. Nestled around tables in the esteemed surroundings of the Laichmoray Hotel in Elgin, Scotland, we've been thrilled to hear what each others ideas and plans are. Not just for themselves, but for others. How we could collaborate. It quickly shifts from awkward introductions to a fizzing enthusiasm and energy. 

I carried some of that feeling with me today as I visited the Moray Chamber of Commerce, in Elgin (actually just across the road from The Laichmoray). The purpose of the day was to find out from the Chamber what benefits can be earned from Membership. 

We were welcomed in by Sarah Medcraf, CEO of the Chamber in Moray, and I was joined by two friends who are starting out (https://twitter.com/BeachCraftABV) and two current members. It was interesting to hear what all the benefits were, and it got me even more fired up about this venture. I'm eager to meet and work with other businesses, and Membership will be key to that.

As if that wasn't enough, yesterday my first client, John Nillsen came by to collect his commissioned painting (Distant Evening). It was so rewarding seeing how pleased he was to see it in the flesh. Then this evening I received an email from Rachel at Fortrose Bay Camp Site informing me they had sold on of the five paintings I had left there after my Roadtrip (see last blog entry), Cue dancing in kitchen with two year old son. 

 

 

Roadtrip

Never let it be said that my Wife isn't supportive. She allowed me the freedom to take off in the camper-van for two days, just our eldest son, my paints and easel and canvasses and brushes, to have a father son art break. She get's the first glass of champagne when we make our next sale. 

Anyway, it was a really relaxing and enjoyable two days of painting and just hanging out with my 9 year old son at one of my favourite camp sites. We headed north along the coast and through Inverness to a small town, Fortrose. The camp site, the Fortrose Bay Camp-site, owned by the lovely Mike and Rachel Brown, who recently took ownership and have really left their mark on the site, affords stunning views across the Moray Firth, and even Ben Nevis. Also famed for its accessible views of wildlife, this camp-site is within walking distance of the beautiful town of Fortrose, and its selection of restaurants. The Anderson is definitely worth trying. 

The weather was dreich, or over cast, and very exciting to paint, as the distant hills towards Inverness' Kessock Bridge were hiding behind sliding veils of rainfall and mist. I had a great time trying to keep up with changes, and with the shifting surfaces on the water, and produced a wee series of five paintings, which I've left at with Mike and Rachel to sell on to their patrons. Here's hoping. 

Logan and I had a great time, and he even had a wee shot of the brushes himself, which was a proud moment. More importantly, it's given me the confidence to use this experience to take this to the next stage, and hit the road for longer, and with more canvasses (and my new brushes, which I left at home by mistake). 

I can't wait to share the next road-trip with you, and the paintings I create along the way.

 

First mark

Hello everyone and welcome to my site. I will be keeping this updated with new works as they're completed, and will be updating this blog as often as I can. And hopefully from some interesting places. 

So today was a big day. A meeting this morning marked the end of my association with the industry I have worked in for 15 years. The now badly neglected Offshore Oil Industry. I had been informed over a month ago, that I would likely be made redundant soon due to the current downturn and desperate measures taken by the various companies to survive. 

This wasn't my first redundancy though, so my head didn't dip so low this time. Instead, I decided to do something that would revitalise me, and give me the sense of worth that I had once felt should have come from my career. I picked up my paintbrushes and paints, and took to the canvas with an energy I haven't experienced since my teens. 

Since my Grandmother gave me my first lessons in drawing and painting aged 8, I have loved to draw and paint, and by High School, it had cemented itself as a part of my identity. I created one off hand painted designs on T Shirts for schoolmates, and inspired by a huge book on Salvador Dali in the school library, I ventured into paintings that had a purpose other than to render subjects accurately. I used symbolism and metaphor to convey feelings and longings that otherwise couldn't have found a voice. As I gained confidence, I was able to plan my future around this love for painting. 

I lost a lot of confidence and cohesion when my family returned us to Scotland, and I saw my plans dissolve and wash away. 

However, as I settled into my new home, I again picked up the brush as a way to mark myself out as an individual. Over the years, that has found me completing works on a variety of topics and genres. Moving from T-shirts to leather jackets and motorcycles through to carrying out commissions for a Dance Music record shop, sign work for a large restaurant chain, and even the cover art for a local bands single. 

Now I find myself living in a peaceful village on the North East of Scotland, and lucky enough to be able to have such beautiful landscapes around me, and taking photographs just isn't enough any more. 

These are the events that have led me to this point, and I want to capture the moments that take my breath away, the moments that you can only find in this part of the world, in Scotland. I will capture them for you too, and I look forward to sharing my journey as I fill my canvasses.