“Drawing inspiration from the traditional imagery of his homeland, his paintings function as charming, fantastical tributes to the country and its culture,  fearlessly emotional celebrations of children and childhood.

His rural settings are familiar ones – pine forests at sunset, Highland cattle on the hillside – but given a jolt of vitality through a bold and exciting colour palette. Punchy reds, greens and blues enliven vibrant landscapes buzzing with as much energy as the youthful figures that inhabit them.

His subjects, however, are no carefree, cherubic little angels. They are wild, untamed children of nature. Their faces wear expressions of grim determination. Resolute, their eyes are wide open to the perils of the world around them, yet those same eyes sparkle with the fearlessness of youth.

In their faces we are invited to recognise Scotland itself, a nation wrestling with its own image and its place in the world, still enamoured with the romantic symbols of its past, but grappling with the uncertainty of what lies ahead.

Clad in the wildflowers and tartan cloth of their nation, these defiant youngsters invite us to face our future – and their own – with bravery and a sense of hope.”

John McNee, Editor with The Herald Group