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My love of art began in my childhood discovering crayons, colour pencils, felt pens and paints, I enjoyed the process of transforming a blank white sheet of paper into a magical world of colour. While raising a family and working I continued to paint at home before deciding it was time for me to follow my dream to study art so I enrolled at Inverness UHI in 2013 on the NC Art and Design course, I completed my studies in 2015 attaining my HND in Contemporary Art Practice.

During my studies at Inverness my interest in childhood, memories, identity and technology developed and this inspired me to produce a related body of work. I am happy to have had the opportunity to return to Inverness UHI this year to be part of their new degree course, Contemporary Art & Contextualised Practice BA (Hons) which presents exciting opportunities for students working on collaboration projects and art in the public realm.

In my work I have found inspiration from my own children reflecting on their childhood and considering childhood in the present day in comparison with a simpler childhood environment which I experienced, before the digital age, when traditional play involved creative imagination, human interaction and physical outdoor play, these aspects in my childhood gave me an appreciation for nature an understanding of colour and a desire to create.

My medium includes acrylic and oil paint and I also use forms of mixed media and collage within my work. The interest I have in the subject of childhood, self identity and digital technology has developed into the theme that runs through my current work, presenting images that reveal the impact of social media on childhood.

Technology has transformed our lives and the world we live in, changing the way we communicate and socialise. As an artist and a mother through my paintings I hope to provoke awareness of today’s digital childhood and in the benefits of learning from the natural world and through real life experience.

by June Duncan