about

Text by Jos Smith, poet

I am an environmental artist based in Scotland and The Netherlands. My work as an independent artist takes varied form according to the specific context, and is largely documented through drawing and text. In past projects I have created both artworks and networks, making connections between ecology, sustainability, and creative practice.

I graduated in Environmental Art from Glasgow School of Art (2001 first class), having switched from social research. A series of BioGeoGraphies was supported through a Leverhulme Fellowship at Glasgow University (2005). These investigations of the unique histories of zoological specimens took unpredictable turns and travels, with varied outcomes, and were recorded in joint-authored publications. Border Sheepscapes (2010) developed a focus on field drawing and a knowledge of land use. Working the Tweed (2013) supported development of art-environment networks leading to my ongoing project, Peat Cultures.

Since 2016 I have been working on a long-term project on wetlands, collaborating with environmental projects as a creative practitioner and working outside of the traditional gallery space. My long-term artist project Peat Cultures was initiated to support the Scottish peatland restoration project Peatland Connections with the Galloway Glens Landscape Partnership programme and the Crichton Carbon Centre. This work (see Creative Carbon’s Library of Creative Sustainability) was complemented by a Masters by Research at Edinburgh College of Art (2019) which led to an Erasmus+ placement in the University of Wageningen, The Netherlands (January-November 2020). As artist-in-residence, I responded to the research programme of the Home Turf Project  and Wetfutures teams. This ongoing work can be followed on the project website. I am proud to work with RE-PEAT (a youth-led Amsterdam-based peatland advocacy collective).