I am beginning to explore digital nature art as a way of reframing birds, landscapes and ecological recovery. My interest is not in using generative AI to imitate conventional wildlife art, but in asking what new visual iconographies might become possible when nature & wildlife experiences, geographical and ecological knowledge, visual imagination and generative AI tools are brought together.
This work grows from my long-standing interests in rewilding, the cultural meanings of wildlife, and transformational change. I am particularly interested in how birds, together with rewilding philosophy and science, can generate contemporary icons of place – images that connect ecological recovery with identity, memory, humour, hope and possibility. Generative tools offer a way to explore these visual possibilities, helping to reimagine birds and landscapes not only as bodies and scenery, but as living systems shaped by loss, return and renewal.
About my creative process
The work shown here has been created using generative AI alongside my own photographs, knowledge and creative direction. I describe how I work with these tools, and my thoughts on their use in art, here: [More about my creative process →]
Musselburgh: re-affirming place posters
I live in the lovely historic town of Musselburgh. A proposed flood protection scheme, linked with major active-travel infrastructure, would permanently alter its riverside parklands and natural shoreline through the construction of walls, new bridges and 5-metre-wide cycle and walking routes.
Townsfolk have devoted considerable time and expertise to scrutinising the proposals, identifying what they consider to be serious deficiencies in the science, policy, public engagement and governance underpinning the scheme’s design. A Public Local Inquiry is now underway.
As my contribution, I have created a series of four posters for Discovering Musselburgh drawing inspiration from the classic railway poster design. They are intended as a celebration and reaffirmation of place, a gesture of solidarity and appreciation to those giving evidence at the Inquiry, and a resource for anyone wishing to express the value they attach to Musselburgh’s riverside parklands and coast.
The posters are free to download, print and display for non-commercial purposes.
Town Hall – Download PDF
Riverside & Roman Bridge – Download PDF
Fisherrow Promenade – Download PDF
Eskmouth – Download PDF
Scottish bird iconographies today
Inspired by travels in Scotland, and slightly bored with the familiar puffin, Highland cow and sheep motifs that adorn so much Scottish tourist paraphernalia, I began designing a series of T-shirt concepts exploring how birds might become lively, contemporary emblems of Scottish nature, culture and tourism. My aim is true which is
The images were developed through an iterative process of prompting, visual review, correction and refinement. Generative AI provided the image-making tool, but the direction came from bird knowledge, landscape references, humour, composition and repeated judgement about what felt visually and culturally right. A key part of the process was finding connections between a bird’s behaviour or personality, a distinctively Scottish phrase, and a particular action, attitude or feelin project: Scottish bird iconographies