About

Borders and Material

Roger comes from the steel town of Motherwell. Having spent early years overlooking the edge of the fertile Clyde Valley backed by acres of colourful furnaces lighting the sky and the constant refrain of rolling mills and trains shunting, his artwork inevitably reflects conflicts between peoples needs and the environment.  He studied art first in Glasgow while completing an engineering apprenticeship, and more recently in London at Central Saint Martins.

After completing the craft apprenticeship, while drawing weekly illustrations for a local paper, he moved to England to study Industrial Relations and negotiated agreements with unions in steelmaking and engineering sectors. Subsequently qualifying in Law and Employment he specialised in the employment features of IT outsourcing contracts. He negotiated and implemented the people aspects of landmark agreements with government departments, national industries and the private sector in Central Eastern Europe, the Middle East and the UK.   

During this period his interest in examination of borders physical and mental led to the series of drawings, paintings and video on this subject. Recently he has been following the progress of scientists working on climate change issues.

He has been presented with several East West Art Association Awards. and selected to exhibit with the New Light Art Award finalists and The Scottish Prize for Fine Art.

His work follows a representational path using sketches, digital images, maps photographs and memory to create the work.

“The idea for the work normally emerges from some current event or series of events affecting how people live, work and interact, although sometimes it might just be a worked item or landscape that engages my thought on the labour involved.  I concentrate on the resultant material effects” 

The work uses a variety of material, paint, canvas, and metals, to express the physicality of the concepts, joined by brush, hand, pallet knife stitching and any relevant means.

Roger studied Art at Glasgow School of Art, Havering College and Central Saint Martins University of the Arts London. He has worked and exhibited in the UK and Asia and has a studio in Essex.