During my first undergraduate degree, I spent my Junior year abroad in Aberdeen, Scotland. I truly loved living in Scotland and would go back again in a heartbeat. During that year I traveled through Europe and a bit in Scotland as well. One of my trips was to visit the Shetland and Orkney Islands in the far (faaaaarrr) north of Scotland. Both places are fascinating, though incredibly different from each other despite being relatively close together.

The Shetland Islands are the farthest northern point of the United Kingdom. The ferry ride from Aberdeen takes 14 hours. The Shetlands are wild and windswept and bare, with no trees in sight. No traffic lights either! There are a number of prehistoric ruins as well as a wealth of wildlife—particularly sea birds, including Puffins.

After I returned to the US, while finishing my degree, I created this painting of Bressay Island in the Shetlands. You can take a ferry from the Shetland mainland to Bressay, which is a great place for walking and bird watching. I spent some time watching the waves crashing against the rocky coast, and tried to capture the power and awe I felt at the sight in this piece. The rocky coastline also reminds me a bit of the coast of Maine, where I spent a lot of summers when I was growing up.

“Bressay” is done in oil on canvas and since it’s one of my earlier pieces, I used traditional oil paints. I’ve since switched over to water-mixable oils for the most part, since they don’t require the use of solvents. I enjoy working in oils—it’s by far my favorite medium for painting. I typically work in acrylics for my abstract pieces and oils for my more realistic paintings. Though I’m considering trying oils for some abstract pieces, simply because I enjoy working with them more. I’ve also been focusing on my torn paper collages lately, which hasn’t left a lot of time for painting. That’s something I need to work on, I suppose!

What is your favorite art medium? Are there any mediums you want to work more in or have been wanting to try? What places inspire you to create art?