Yasmin Davidson

I was born in Dundee, Scotland, and studied Fine Art at university for four years. Shortly after my studies, I began to get itchy feet. I travelled a lot. I enjoyed all my new experiences of exploring new countries. 

Eventually, due to the Covid lockdown, I went to a tiny island called the Isle of Berneray in the Western Isles of Scotland. I didn’t know that Berneray existed at this point! It had the only house available to rent at the time, so we just went for it. My partner is originally from North Uist, so we aimed to be near home.

Living in Berneray has forced me to slow down and appreciate things around me, giving me breathing space to create. I have touched base with my Scottish roots again and the quiet lifestyle has given me an excellent platform to think about my next steps instead of jumping around with little direction. I always struggled to find that sense of home.

My paintings have developed into something I am proud of and are more embodied with my expression. I want to convey a story through pattern and colour when I paint. Objects, be it an image of a car, a house or a bag on a table, can say a lot on their own and it’s about seeing the narrative within that. 

I am drawn to people going about their everyday lives. People on the island are so proud of their jobs and working the land. I am fascinated by crofters and fishermen, how they feel that sense of responsibility and I try to capture that vibrancy and the importance they feel when doing their job. 

When I paint, I want to remember that moment as a memory and not as a realistic image. The images I remember are usually colourful. Even if I am memorising a rather dark and dull image, there is always colour within that, be it through the memory of the temperature, hot or cold, or by the time of day.

Living here has forced me to try a different approach to my paintings. One day, when I was driving home in summer, I started looking at the landscape in a new way; I started noticing how the colours seemed to run into each other and form almost marble effects and how the hills almost looked like a patchwork quilt. I began noticing structures of colour and not just green mundane hills. I feel like I have a better understanding of landscape, and I’m enjoying the process. 

The island has taught me how to see a different kind of beauty, rugged and wild. I feel like Berneray chose me rather than me choosing it. I feel grounded here. It is helping me to develop myself and my artistic practice.