I have lived in Glasgow almost all of my life, rooted by history, family, work and the web of connections that grow over the years.

I have studied and worked as a psychotherapist for over twenty years. I am endlessly curious about what it means to be human, and our part in this whole interconnected world, and enjoy being out in the natural world whenever I can, wandering and wondering.

Personal Statement

Venturing into this course as a beginner meant crossing an unfamiliar and daunting threshold - both inwardly, and geographically, leaving behind place, family, work and long-held identities.

The experience was shaped from the first morning of arrival on the course, when a family crisis unfolded at home, creating a daily sense of feeling profoundly split between two worlds; wanting to be ‘there’ when I was here, and to be ‘here’ when I was there.

A timely reminder from a dear friend of the poem ‘Cleave’ by David Whyte spoke directly to the heart of my current, lived experience. It also echoed the broader reality of splitting and uncertainty we are navigating in our world today, alongside our hope of finding togetherness and new beginnings. This poem became the guiding narrative for my body of work in the second term of the course. Responding to the poem, I turned to a collection of beautiful seed pods, including those of a beloved, local large leaf lime tree from home, which I have visited over the years. Its pods and surrounding leaves cling to otherwise empty branches against a bare winter landscape around it.

In applying for the BHA portfolio course, my wish was to find and develop a visual language and the essential skills of drawing and understanding materials. I have explored the character and resilience of these pods through experimenting with a wide range of materials, allowing myself to play with everything available. Some fell by the wayside, but thankfully some have made it through to this series of work.

These pods hold for me a story of hope: of energy gathered at the threshold, ready to release new life into the world.