Having grown up in the West Coast Coigach peninsula of the Scottish Highlands – an area steeped in culture and local traditions – I am a musician and visual artist based in the Highland village of Ullapool. My impressionistic painting style is very much a visceral response to the land that I grew up in and my composition combined showcases a deep-rooted sense of place. I play the accordion, Highland pipes, small pipes, piano and sing and I can be seen on stage alongside composer, Mike Vass, as Buoy Gull with Kenny Anderson (King Creosote) and piping supergroup, Tryst.
Composition has been a lifelong passion of mine, many tunes fast becoming staples in sessions throughout Scotland, and further afield, with “Maggie West’s Waltz” and “Dram Behind the Curtain” amongst the favourites. The latter was recorded on Eddi Reader’s deluxe Robert Burns album, with Eddi claiming it to be “the best Scottish tune [she has] heard in years”.
In 2009 I released my first solo album, “Passing Places”, a suite of tunes commissioned by Glasgow’s Celtic Connections festival, for their New Voices series. The concert was recorded and released on CD/DVD – featuring images from my native Coigach and Assynt – alongside a book of my original compositions, which includes the full suite as well as many others. Receiving a 5* Scotsman review and that same year, winning PRS Composer of the Year, at the Scots Trad Music Awards.
A natural and seamless progression from “Passing Places” was my next solo album, “Summer Isles’ released in 2016. Before writing the album, I spent many weeks researching stories from the islands, in particular, well-known publications such as ‘Island Years’ by Frank Fraser Darling and ‘Trowel in my Hand’ by my relation, the poet Neil Macleod. These books, as well as newly written poems from local artist Jan Kilpatrick, set the direction for my compositional style as more song based. Guest vocalists are, Hector MacInnes from Skye and Scotland’s much-loved singer/song writer, King Creosote.
My latest limited edition 12” vinyl singles, are again inspired by the Coigach area. Each single includes a bespoke cover design, combining my two passions - art and music. The title ‘Hearth’, (traditionally an integral part of any home) symbolises the warmth, light and nourishment of the art and music combined. It reflects the resilient, and spirited generations of women from the area, including those who resisted landlords during what became known as the Coigach Riots during the Highland Clearances. Braving Coigach’s west coast weather to paint landscapes ‘en plein air’, my impressionistic style is a visceral response to the land where the women from my past trampled the same soil.
