mike cairncross

I consider the act of carving as revealing rather than creating. With Ledmore and Portsoy the material is the star, its colouring and strength a reflection of the creation. As a material they have a great many cracks and faults, the different colours have differing hardnesses so carving them can be awkward, with many breakages. Patience is paramount.

My way of painting is still developing. Sometimes ruled by my discipline of drawing, at other times more personal, in terms of observed pattern or the emotional response to colour. The differing methods between watercolour or oils sometimes cross over, as do the ideas I sometimes try to express either in two or three dimensions. Ideas about the nature of existence and relationships I find the most challenging, as there are so many different ways to approach it.

What often ties the two media together is the way I work. In the stone I often let the medium take control letting the shapes alter my ideas as the carving goes along. In a similar way if released from the drawing discipline, the painting can grow from different strokes and colour relationships.