‘I live in a small, parochial town in Scotland called Kilmarning. Much of my recent work has been based on the people I know here, stories I’ve heard and things that I’ve seen. The people of Kilmarning are characteristically inward-looking, often unpleasant and stubbornly obstinate. On the rare occasion that someone asks me what I do, I say I’m a painter. “How much do
you charge per room?” they usually inquire. “Do you do wallpapering?” There is usually little point in clarifying, so I tell them I’m booked until the end of the year.‘

ABOUT THE WORK:

‘The most significant cultural event of the year is the Kilmarning Games. It’s your fairly typical highland games: the screeching of the pipers, Hooray Henries with their lavish champagne and noise, rows of goldfish in plastic bags expiring in the sun. Unique to the Kilmarning Games is its mascot Cyril The Squirrel; a polarising character who brings joy or terror to the children. For many years the man in the costume was played by a local deputy headteacher until he had to leave town. The caber toss is a staple of the games and a real crowd pleaser. The aim is to throw the caber end over end. The person performing this is called a “thrower” or “tosser”. This painting is about the tossers at the Kilmarning Games – the man in the foreground holding the shotgun, next to the 4×4 with the driver ploughing through the bagpipers – just behind them, there are the tossers.‘