Commissions & Miscellaneous

2024 Grandpa Tom the miner

Following on from 'The Storied Edinburgh' book, Donald was asked to write a collection of stories showing the lives of children living through the last 900 years. This illustration I did shows a mining family in the Gilmerton area of Edinburgh. This project is to be used in schools and will be part of a free resource that can be used by teachers.

2024 Chapter 5, HISTORY & DRAMA

One of 9 illustrations commissioned for Donald Smith's book celebrating the story of Edinburgh's 9oo years of exceptional literature: 'Edinburgh, Our Storied Town' Published by Luath Press.
ISBN 9781804251508

2024: Every Home Should Have a Ukulele.

This was a commission from the musician Tony Maude for the cover of his album aimed mainly at schools.

2023: The Visitation

I was commissioned by the writer Timothy Ray to work with him re-imagining the broken and lost panels from The Ruthwell Cross, a c.7Cent, 18 foot , Anglo-Saxon sandstone cross with several sculpted panels illustrating stories and themes from the New Testament. This one Timothy wanted to illustrate the visitation between Mary and her cousin Elizabeth - but actually it's now unclear who these figures really are and they might not even be women!

The Trinity

One of the lost panels re-created for the Ruthwell Cross Project. The Cross was broken up by iconoclasts during the Scottish reformation period. When it was reconstructed in the 19 Cent. none of the horizontal cross pieces were found. So I had to make this up, but the two of us researched anglo-saxon manuscripts and developed this image from those.

2023: Jesus with the woman wiping his feet with her hair.

From the Ruthwell Cross Project. This panel is one of the best preserved images. I only had to re-imagine the face.

2023: From Eidyn's Din

I was commissioned to do a picture of the City of Edinburgh, to go with a short story by Donald Smith on the origins of the name 'Edinburgh'. These were both then shown in an exhibition which included other cities from across the world who have city-of-literature status, All this was hosted in October by Quebec City, Canada https://quebecvilledelitterature.ca/fr/toponymie/

2021: Mouth of the Shark

This is a series of images I developed in 2020 for Edinburgh Printmakers who selected myself and two other Edinburgh member-printmakers: Lindy Furby and Lesley Logue to show in an exhibition on the theme of migrants and refugees in Cork, Ireland. Covid got in the way but we eventually got to show in the summer of 2021

2020: The Queens Nursing Institute, Scotland.

I was asked to do a picture of the offices of this organisation to be presented as a gift to an outgoing president on the Board of Trustees. Architecturally, it's a rather magnificent block of apartments facing the Castle. Their website includes a fascinating account of its history at the forefront of Nursing in this country.

2019: The Hand of Truth

a Georgian murder mystery by the author David Paton - this is the version of the cover he used for the kindle edition of his book. Originally commissioned to be used for the published paperback, it wasn't used as the publishers used their own inhouse artist.

2019: Castles in the Air

I think, the most elaborate commission yet! John Longley, a friend and exceptional musician who happens to teach Math at Edinburgh University, wrote this book to explain mathematical concepts in a very engaging and pictoral way. My illustration was crafted through many, many versions till we settled on something that realised John's concept best.

2018: The Hand of Truth map of Georgian period Leeds

David Paton's murder mystery has his characters weaving their way through the medieval heart of old Leeds. I was asked to produce a map so readers could follow their progress.

2018: Grassmarket Christmas Carols

This is a Christmas card I was asked to do, based on the now annual Grassmarket Community gathering to sing carols under the market Christmas tree.

2017: Castle Terrace Farmers Market, from 'A Sketchbook of Edinburgh'.

Along with three other artists I was commissioned to help produce a series of images of Edinburgh for 'A Sketchbook of Edinburgh' by Iain Fraser and his wife Anne Fraser Sim - published by Birlinn ISBN: 978-1-78027-487-4.

2017: The Bank of Scotland, St Andrew's Square, from 'A Sketchbook of Edinburgh'.

This painting didn't actually make it into the finished product

2017: A Corner of George Square - from ' A Sketchbook of Edinburgh'

Seen through trees bordering the central garden, this is just a bit of the old side of George Square which is part of Edinburgh University.

2017: West Register House, from 'A Sketchbook of Edinburgh'.

Charlotte Square in Edinburgh's New Town. Where many of us remember the Festival Book Fair being held.

2015: View from the Window

This was a private commission from the owner of this view who was moving elsewhere.

2015: Edinburgh from the roof terrace of the Chambers Street Museum.

The painting I made as a leaving present for the rector of St Columba's by the castle Episcopal church on Johnston Terrace. One of an ecumenical partnership with Greyfriars Kirk and Augustine United on George IV Bridge, all three churches can be seen from this vantage point.

2015: An Open Wound

seen here in situ during a Visual Arts Scotland exhibition. This is an Artists Book, a concertina of images sized to be the same as that of my TV screen at that time. With this project I explored images seen from the comfort of my own home depicting the horrors of famine, war, death etc.