Chris is a freelance artist living and working in West Dunbartonshire. He spends a lot of time in Ayrshire, Argyll and Bute and Inverclyde, preferably near the water. He has a great passion for the sea and growing up, he either swan in it, fished in it or sailed on it! Walking down the beach and hearing the crash of the ocean has inspired his driftwood collection: the marine environment features prominently in his work. Bold blues, greens and turquoises, shimmering whites, mother of pearl creams and dramatic greys conjure up memories and stir the imagination. Marine life tumbles and soars from his pieces, such is his love for wildlife and nature.

Chris specialises in driftwood art, collecting his wood from “a beach near you”. There is nothing he likes better than a “driftwood expedition” with his daughters and then dinner in a local pub. He adores driftwood as a medium because each piece has an interesting back story: it has been buffeted about by the ocean and has wound up on a distant shoreline. He loves the idea of the history of each piece and the tactile nature of his raw material. Being such a natural material, its shape dictates to him what each artwork will be. He has to follow the natural grain of the wood and respect each curve and knot in the process.