If you’ve visited my website before you may notice this is not how it normally looks. If you haven’t, you might be wondering where the artwork is hiding or where information might be about classes or where to find my artwork. Well, after weeks of trying to figure out what got into my previous site – some kind of virus, apparently, most likely delivered via hacker – I’ve decided to start anew. It’s kind of nice really, starting over just in time for this great adventure in Shetland.

I will rebuild the pages with galleries of recent and archived artwork soon, but I’m not in a hurry. I also plan to build in a way for people to buy work online but that’s not likely to happen in the next six weeks.

(Pause)

10 days, a continent away, and finally a solid internet connection for my laptop later, I am in the midst of Day 3 of my residency at Sumburgh Head Lighthouse in Shetland! I think I have stopped feeling overwhelmed by it all. Perhaps it is premature to say that, though, as I have only begun to explore my surroundings, and the light on the ocean and islands changes by the hour and my desire to catch it all is difficult to control. It seems best to spend a lot of time outside just taking it in. Of course I bring my sketchbook and have done quite a bit of work so far, but trying to find balance is my aim.

I was fortunate to spend a week with my Uncle Bill and visiting family in Scalloway, so I got the chance to sleep off the jet lag and go on day trips to beautiful places during a spell of spectacular weather. I also got to prepare my papers, canvases and boards for the residency, which took a surprising amount of time (of course, I’ve brought an ambitious amount of materials not knowing how much one gets done with a month of solitude on top of a cliff).

I’ve posted lots of photos on Facebook and Instagram, so I’ll start here with sharing scenes and things from the last few days …

Sumburgh Head from a distance

The twisty road up to the lighthouse. Here we go!

My apartment, the Occasional Keeper’s Flat

View from my bedroom window

The panoramic room, a room I get to use as a second studio until March 25

That turquoise and steely blue and white … I’m in heaven.

First day of sketching