Catriona Graham

Many of us draw inspiration, personal strength and calm from immersion in nature. Spending hours investigating and contemplating a view in my practice, I have come to appreciate the duality of the enduring existence of the natural landscape against the backdrop of our own individual fragility. Landscape is changed, morphs and develops under the influence of factors beyond its control. In a viewed landscape, we see something which is both the end result at a given time and also just a single moment in a continuum.

Though less easily observed, the same applies to us – at any given time, we are both static and changing. I am interested in exploring the strength and stability of landscape, particularly areas under pressure of elements such as water, seismic activity and weather.

Using a variety of materials, including oil paints, watercolours, inks, pastels and charcoals, my focus is on expressing and conveying this experience to an audience - reminding myself of both our fleeting visit and our ongoing connection to the longevity of place. By bringing the viewer inside the landscape, I hope to connect with my envisaging of past inhabitants, my own experience, and travellers into the future.