Artist Statement

 

My paintings have traditionally been representational. I have been, and continue to be, influenced, and inspired by the Conamara and West of Ireland landscape, skyscape and seascape around me. To date I have always known where I was going in a painting. I worked while referencing previous sketches and photographs.

 

Having lived by the sea for many years, we moved home inland to totally different surroundings. This move has inspired me to pursue my lifelong interest in abstract art. While in Covid Lockdown I seized the opportunity and undertook the study of abstract art. This is bringing me on a fascinating journey of exploration into various media and a very personal style of painting.

 

My paintings are now started without any plan or idea of the outcome. This is, for me, very challenging and at the same time exhilarating. In the joyful act of laying down paint in a much freer manner, in using collage, in the layering of glazes and textured paint, in the scraping and sanding through those layers, I am on a journey of discovery. I work in acrylics, oils, charcoal, collage, crayons, and pencil. I now work in hour long bursts of intense concentration. Having begun a painting very loosely, I then start to pay attention to value, design, colour, texture. While pausing and studying  the painting as it progresses, it slowly reveals itself to me and I begin to discover where it is going. This is what I find fascinating.

 

The paintings, as they are nearing finish, show me something of myself in a way I have not experienced with more representational work. I am discovering how parts of my previous experiences and memories are manifesting in the work. What I find most interesting is that other viewers then find something personal to themselves in those paintings. Having painted a totally original image, the viewer looks at it and sees something that triggers a memory, a scene, or an idea. The painting is now standing on its own merit and revealing itself to whoever engages with it. The abstract nature of the work enables an interaction with the viewer which excites and surprises me.

 

This journey continues….