In 2022, I was honoured to receive the Cherry Kearton Medal and Award from the Royal Geographical Society (RGS). This prestigious award is given to ‘a traveller concerned with the study or practice of natural history, especially those with an interest in photography, art or film.’ In my case, it was awarded for painting—an unexpected but deeply meaningful recognition of the connection between art and exploration. Former recipients include artists Tacita Dean and Andy Goldsworthy, photographers Steve McCurry and Yann Arthus-Bertrand, BBC Planet Earth producer Alistair Fothergill, and Sir David Attenborough.
My love for the Arctic began years earlier, shaped by a fascination with light, vast spaces, and the elemental beauty of ice, rock, and water. In 2018, I was appointed Arctic Artist in Residence by the Friends of the Scott Polar Research Institute. This residency took me to the High Arctic, where I immersed myself in its luminous, sublime landscapes. The experience profoundly deepened my artistic practice, leading to a body of work that seeks to capture the stillness, isolation, and quiet grandeur of these remote places.
To have my paintings recognised by the RGS—a society with a long history of supporting exploration—was both unexpected and affirming. It speaks to the way art can stand alongside science and geography in revealing the world’s most extraordinary environments. The Arctic is a place of fragile beauty, and through my work, I hope to evoke not only its majesty but also its vulnerability.
Receiving the Cherry Kearton Medal reinforced my belief in the power of painting to transport, to inform, and to inspire. It was a moment to reflect on the journey so far and to look forward to where my work may lead next.