I've been a visual artist, illustrator and graphic designer for over twenty years. My shop, Indy Prints, has its origin in early 2013, when I began to put my creative experience and strong aesthetic sense to use in the campaign for Scottish independence. A drawing I made in October of that year caught people’s attention and spurred me on to produce prints. Following the success of those prints, I
launched this online shop in July 2014, to feature the best of my political work. The following year I began to add non-political work, notably my landscape collection. These hand-drawn views are from all over Scotland and were inspired by twentieth century travel posters, in particular those made for railway companies. In 2016, I launched my Scots Sayings collection, featuring some of the popular Scots language sayings. Mid-century designers, such as Saul Bass, where the inspiration for these, giving an unusual modernist look to what were sometimes age-old sayings. In that same year, I expanded on the various pieces that focus on Scotland’s culture. For far too long Scotland’s home-grown culture – when it even gets noticed or taught – has been seen as second-rate, embarrassing, or just for the tourists. The Scottish Cringe is still too prevalent. I aim to fight against these negative self beliefs with my work, by shining a light on Scotland’s unique culture. My hope is that in so doing, we collectively can grow to appreciate and celebrate what makes Scotland unique, with a culture that is recognised around the world. Like so many of us, I was taught nothing about Scotland as a kid and so have had to teach myself about my own culture. As I explore that culture, the languages and the history, the work in my shop continues to change. I hope you’ll find something to appreciate here as I journey ever onwards
