A Sky Full of Gannets Oil

This oil painting is inspired by a trip to Bass Rock, home to the world’s largest colony of Northern gannets. The work explores the sensation of standing beneath the constant motion of the colony, a sky alive with circling, gliding forms.

Using layered oil washes and subtle tonal shifts, the blue background evokes sea, sky and the atmosphere simultaneously, allowing the space to feel expansive and immersive. By stripping the birds back to their essential forms, the painting is less about literal representation and more about experience and the awe of observing wildlife in its natural environment.