Going to the Mountains is Going Home

A private commission for a keen hillwalker and naturalist, speaking of selecting the words for this piece:

"There is something about the sense of familiarity, a “home” is where you feel comfortable, share time with family and friends and is a constant through life. Having being going to the mountains for 50 years they are a never changing presence, instantly evoking memories of a lifetime of wonderful visits and shared times. John Muir is one of the people I admire most, whose writings have hugely influenced my outlook on the world."

The piece features a key phrase, taken from a longer quote by John Muir:

"Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity; and that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life."

Photograph by: Jules Lacave-Fontourcy

Displayed as part of Your Very Own Solo Show at Embassy Gallery in Edinburgh, 25th July 2025.

Felt on velvet, 2025

80cm x 85cm