Connors work focuses on aspects of identity based on his own lived experience, primarily focusing on queerness, transness and Scottishness, to open up these ideas and reveal them as welcoming, rather than as divisive. Drawing inspiration from both current events and archival media, his work acts as undeniable and tangible proof of trans existence during a time of erasure and the roll-back of transgender rights within Scotland. Using his hands to create, using analogue photography and manual printmaking processes, is not just an aesthetic choice, but a political stance. Tactility in art is under threat, as technology such as AI begins to destabilise the artistic economy that was once deemed untouchable. Using a body to create is something AI cannot do, and therefore this is an important aspect to Connors practice, an act of resistance through the creation of physical tangible media.

See Connor’s work as part of our annual spring exhibition Offerings, exploring the ways that hope and creativity can take root in hostile environments. Inspired by queer histories of creating against all odds, and by the ways communities nurture possibility and make offerings for the future, Offerings showcases works that bring warmth, colour, and a sense of renewal, that soften the spaces they inhabit, or that suggest endurance or growth: no matter how harsh the winter, the flowers will bloom again.

Hi Connor! How did your artistic journey start?
I was a super creative kid, and I spent so much of my time wrapped up in my own world and drawings. I think it was a way of processing the world as a child/teenager, when all else failed, at least I had drawing/painting. I remember during my teenage years using my sketchbook as a way to explore my developing queer identity, through drawing an imagined version of myself transitioning and trying out new names in the margins of the sketchbook. I spent a lot of time in the early years of high school hating how art was taught and wanting to try new things, but not being allowed to. We then thankfully got a new art teacher who showed me that it was ok to explore things and try some new stuff out! I then went to Grays School of Art, and my eyes were opened to the fact that I could literally do anything I wanted!

How has your practice changed over time?
My practice actually started more performance-based, looking into persona and gender performance, but eventually I found it wasn’t really me and that I would much rather spend hours quietly locking into carving a print than performing in front of an audience. I do think aspects of the boldness of performance still lie in my prints, but really, I feel far more able to connect to my printmaking practice and photography work in a deeper, more personal way. I used to work with colour a lot more, but I find the simplicity (and the cost) of working completely in black and white a lot better for getting my message across at the moment, it’s easier not to overcomplicate things.

How do you overcome creative blocks?
Honestly I’m still working this one out. I try not to be too in my head about creative blocks. If nothing is coming to me, I try not to dwell on it but sometimes I find just going back to the basics and doing some 0-pressure doodles and squiggles not in my sketchbook, just on a piece of paper, really helps me get back into it. I think speaking to other people about creative things, and the world, also helps me feel more inspired to make work and get back into it. Especially speaking to anyone else who is trans/queer about art and bouncing ideas between each other really helps unblock some things. I also find that music is a massive help to give myself the motivation to get back into it. I also find going outside, sitting on a bench and just drawing what I see can gives me inspiration

How do you typically approach your creative process from initial inspiration to the completion of your artwork?
My work normally stems from a response to an event or an emotion that feels current in my life, so I work from there initially, sketching small things or taking a photo from said event and drawing from there. I am massively inspired by old queer archival media, for example, posters from nightclubs in the 80s or photos of historical trans people, so I sometimes work from a similar aesthetic or feeling that was evoked by this media. Once I have a concrete image that I am planning to carve, I then draw it up to its desired size, transfer it backwards onto the lino or wood (especially if it contains text) and set to work carving it. Depending on my ability to focus, I can complete a piece within a day, but other times it’s a process over a few days with breaks in between. The act of carving itself is a very cathartic process for me, and I spend a lot of time processing things and getting my anger out through the repeated motion of carving. Once completed, I currently print my prints from my bedroom, using a very DIY method of my trusty print spoon and sometimes standing on the prints in order to get a crisp finish. Ideally, though, I would use the Victorian cast iron printing press as I love how beautifully crisp the outcome is.

What emotions or reactions do you hope viewers experience when they see your artwork?
I like to think my work can be understood universally and that each person viewing it has something they can connect to within it, whether they connect to the queer aspect of it or if they see something else within it or its technique. I hope people feel drawn to it and that it can grab the audience’s attention. I also hope that perhaps it can open up new conversations for people, maybe it can challenge pre-disposed narratives around queerness and the trans experience.

Will your next project be a continuation of your current style or are you experimenting with something different? Can you share a glimpse of your next project?
I plan to continue working in this 30cmx30cm format and hopefully make a series of these prints, maybe with the text all linking together into something. I’m hoping to also start working bigger. I currently have a big 45cmx45cm block in my studio calling my name longingly, so I can imagine that will be getting carved in the near future. I have a vague plan for a print in response to my recent top surgery and I can see the inner workings of that coming together in the back of my head. I am also thinking of making some prints in response to being stuck in hospitality and am currently working on an entirely lino printed zine, so they will be getting made whenever I can get round to it! Other than that I’m thinking of getting back into my love of film photography and might see if I can get back into a darkroom at some point too! 

OFFERINGS runs at Six Foot Gallery until 21st April 2026. Connect with Connor on Instagram.