Charcoal & Pencil

I draw a lot – in sketchpads, on huge sheets pinned to the wall of my studio, on the backs of envelopes – it's a big part of my life which I couldn't do without. I like to draw my family and friends, often these are snatched moments. I love what Berthe Morisot said: “My ambition was limited to wanting to capture something of what goes by, just something, the smallest thing.” Sometimes these drawings end up as oil paintings but usually they are just ends in themselves, a way of recording what I find beautiful or interesting.

I love working outdoors, quickly in charcoal in all weathers. I continue to explore all around the little universe of Kirkton where I live. I have also drawn the Mayo landscape I visit every year with my family. I organise my life-drawing group because the discipline of drawing from a figure is something I continue to get a buzz out of. It helps to keep my brain in gear. I also find charcoal a wonderful medium for creating interpretations of my father's poems.