Living on an orchard in the Clyde Valley, the ‘Fruit Basket of Scotland’, offers an endless source of inspiration and subject matter. Known for their mosaic habitats, orchards are rich in biodiversity and the fruit-growing heritage here reaches back over 900 years. My work begins with the experience. When the morning opens, I’m drawn outside, mug of tea in hand, to soak up the light, inhale turquoise air, sink my feet into lime green moss and absorb this living palette. I’m captivated by transitory moments such as when a shift of light highlights the contrast of fresh wildflowers against ageing trees. Shapes of standing deadwood, tall grasses, berry-rich hedgerows and dense undergrowth all in a restless cycle of renewal and decay are all here on my doorstep. I make observational sketches in pen, charcoal or ink and many studies capturing the movement and essence of my subject, then return to the studio to distil, reinterpret and reimagine. I enjoy making collage and colour palettes from my orchard studies to build up layers of thought, shape, mark and colour – the hinterland of my work. I let my intuitive and emotional response to the relationships of colour, tone and shape lead my work – an ongoing process of discovery and learning.