Artist Statement
I paint people to explore who we are when we are not being observed. With the rise of curated online identities, much of life now is shaped by presentation and control; my work focuses on the opposite. I try to represent the moments where identity is quieter, uncertain, or exposed. I am interested in telling a story, but not the one we usually present to the public. Instead, my work sits in the space between what we show and what we hold back.
The figures are often alone resting, drifting, or singing to themselves. These are private moments, where something internal begins to surface without being fully explained.
Each painting begins with ink and shellac or charcoal and thin washes of oil paint. I use this to break up the surface and introduce an initial structure that I then work against. The image is built slowly in oil, with layers added, removed, and adjusted over time. Some areas are brought into focus, while others are left partially obscured.
Objects such as vintage swim caps or theatrical clothing are used to take the figure out of a specific time or place. They are not there to tell a story, but to shape the atmosphere and create a sense of distance from everyday life.
My work is about looking closely at what is visible, and at what is harder to define.
CV
Education
BA Honours Drawing and Painting - Glasgow School of Art 1994-1998
Awarded the Benno Schotz purchase prize for drawing at graduation.
Prizes & Awards
City of Glasgow Award, awarded at the Royal Glasgow Institute annual exhibition.
Benno Schotz Award for drawing, awarded at the Glasgow School of Art degree show
Nominated for Figurativas 13, Figurative Art Prize, Barcelona
Winner of the Glasgow Art Club award, Paisley Art Institute, 2015
Finalist at Scottish Portrait Awards 2017
Winner of The Turlington Prize, National Open Art Exhibition, London 2017
Winner of The Tom Urwin Fine Art Award, Society of Women Artists, London
Selected Exhibitions
2025 PAI annual exhibition, Art Club, Glasgow
2025 Glasgow Gallery, Unlikely Clan group show, Glasgow
2024 Discerning eye exhibition, Mall galleries, London
2024 Society of Woman Artists, Mall Galleries, London.
2023 Invited artist, Group show, The Hybrid gallery, Devon.
2023 Summer Show, The Velvet Easel Gallery, Edinburgh.
2022 The Unlikely Clan, Group Show, Lemond Gallery, Glasgow.
2021 Winter Group Show, Arteries Gallery, Glasgow.
2020 The Unlikely Clan, debut Show, SoGo Arts, Glasgow.
2019 Invited Artist, Summer Show, The Biscuit Factory, Newcastle.
2019 Invited Artist, Winter Show, Hybrid Gallery, Devon
2017 Selected for the Scottish Portrait Awards, Edinburgh.
2016 Open Art Awards, Winner of the Turtling Award, London.
2015 Paisley Art Institute, Winner of the Glasgow Art Club Award.
2015 Group Show, Woman Painting Woman, Glasgow.
2013 Selected for Figurativas ’13 Exhibition, Barcelona.
2012 Group Show, Panter and Hall Gallery, London.
2008 Scottish exhibition, Thompsons Gallery, Marlybone, London.
2005 Group show, Eton Contemporary Gallery, Eton.
2005 London Art Fair, Eton Contemporary Gallery, London.
2005 Paisley Art Institue, Annual exhibition.
2004 group Show, Blackheath Gallery, London.
2003 Featured Artist, Blackheath Gallery, London.
2002 Solo Show, Arteries Gallery, Glasgow.
2001 RGI Annual show, Winner of the City of Glasgow Award.
Publications & Articles
Homes and Interiors Scotland, Issue 49. ‘Art Words’ Cherylene Dyer Yellow Scarf. 2006
Sunday Mail, tabloid Article, Page 19. ‘Art and Football’. 2002
The Glasgow Herald, review ‘Young Contemporaries’ Exhibition at the Scottish Gallery. 2000
Homes and Interiors Scotland, Issue 10. ‘New Inspirations from Old masters’ 3-page article text by Clare Hendry. 1999
