Tuesday 14 September 2021

Something Is Changing

At the opening night of "HARVEST" at the W3 Gallery.

In 2018, I started a small series of paintings on the theme of Climate Change entitled "Something Is Changing". I am pleased that three of these pieces have been selected for this years Harvest Exhibition entitled "GATHER" at the W3 Gallery, Acton Town, London, which opened last month.

"Something is Changing 6"
25x20cm. Acrylic on canvas 2019
Since these works were first completed before the pandemic, we have seen even more extremities in the Global weather structures. Flash floods in New York City, wildfires across West America and Europe, not to mention the melting ice caps on both the North and South Poles have caused catastrophic destruction and loss of human life.



"Something is Changing 1"
21x45cm. Acrylic on canvas 2018
In these abstract works, I use bands of colour to suggest temperature, atmosphere and the changing shape of the landscape. I am influenced by the Colour Field artists such as Mark Rothko, Sean Scully and the St Ives Artists - Patrick Heron and Ben Nicholson. "Something is Changing 4" reflects on Global Warming and was conceived after the highest temperature was recorded on July 25th, 2019 in the UK.  The fifth painting in the series embraces the tragedy of the melting ice caps in the Artic and Antartic. "Something is Changing 6" invites us to look at our relationship with the earth and landscape.



We are all aware and have experienced in one way or another the effect of Global Warming and Climate Change in the past few years. I hope the paintings are a reminder that "Something Is Changing"and inspire us in our own individual ways of our responsibilities.


"GATHER" EXHIBITION IS OPEN
NOW UNTIL OCT 23RD
W3 GALLERY,185 ACTON HIGH ST,
LONDON W3 9DJ


All the above photographs taken on opening night of "HARVEST" at the W3 Gallery on Sept 16th.
  

Monday 1 March 2021

Celebrating 60 - "Painting a Life"



In 1986, I visited an interesting exhibition in the Guinness Hop Store in Dublin. It was called "Painting a Life" and it featured the work of Irish artist, Pauline Bewick. The artist, having reached the age of fifty, decided to bring together as many pieces of artwork from early childhood onward.

Going through my own archives recently, I was confronted with a much larger volume of artworks than I had realised- pen and ink drawings, charcoals, pastels, oil and acrylic canvases, paper cut outs, worked over at least four decades. 
"Untitled" paper cut out collage  84 x 60cm 2010
So, can art also provide the function to"paint a life" and form part of a biography? As I went through my storage space and portfolio's, I could see periods of my life unfolding, in the form of buildings, landscapes, figures or colour, performing similar functions to collections of photographs, letters or postcards.

Reaching another decade, is a time to look back and reflect. So, as I turn sixty this month, I have taken on the task of selecting a dozen or so key pieces, which in sequence, act as a kind of autobiography - and in a way........painting my life.

 1. Beginnings: No. 14 Upper Dorset St, Dublin

I grew up in the heart of Dublin city, in the 1960's. My family ran a small grocery shop in Upper Dorset St, which opened seven days a week. Two doors down from where we lived, in N0.12, the playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan was born. Around the corner, in Parnell Square, I made regular visits to the Hugh Lane Gallery,  which housed everything from Impressionist paintings to the works of Jack B Yeats. Painting and drawing was always my passion as a child. I was fortunate my family gave me the time and encouraged me to explore and experiment freely.


2. Exploring Surrealism: The Garden

I was fortunate to have both a sculptor, - Colm Brennan and a surrealist- Jimmy Burns, as art teachers in secondary school. Both of these, nurtured my talents and at times, departed from the school curriculum, so as I could develop my style and technique further. "The Garden" was completed a few years after leaving school and is a tribute to the artists, writers, philosophers, performers and scientists, I had admired the most. It pursues the theme of mortality and art.                                                      

3. Transcendence
I originally trained in design and was awarded Diploma in Visualising in 1980. Working for advertising agencies, I became influenced by graphic art techniques. I was pleased to have a drawing accepted by the Royal Hibernian Academy in 1985 and thereafter awarded prizes in the CDL National Art Competitions in Ireland.
"Transcendence" combined many images I had come across in finished art manuals, books I had read and reproductions from Durer's etchings. The face of the writer Herman Hesse is featured in the central triangles. This large A1 size drawing explores the question of identity, the trauma of life itself, spirituality and our place in the cosmos.


4. The Cheese Shop, Muswell Hill.
I moved to London in March 1989, two days after my birthday. I soon reconnected with my roots via a series of Celtic paintings and exhibited them at the Crocodile Gallery in Muswell Hill. Living in this quaint part of North London, I became interested in the Edwardian buildings and shop fronts surrounding the Broadway. "The Cheese Shop" is one of a series of paintings, in which, I also made limited edition prints. 




 5. Life Drawing
The traditional way of learning art is that good drawing is also a base to good painting. I was largely a representational artist at the time and my drawing was heavily governed by a graphic art approach, with a strong emphasis on linear accuracy.
I attended life drawing classes in a studio in Crouch End, not far from where I lived. The tutor had a vast knowledge of the anatomy, how to represent the figure through observation and I learned the importance of correct timing. After a lot of practise, I began to loosen up and make suggestions rather than direct representations. This would help me later on, when I journeyed through abstraction.



6. Abstraction
It was at the Hampstead School of Art in 2007 that my art took on a new dimension. I was fortunate to have a Head of Painting, Wynn Jones as tutor. He encouraged me to push my boundaries and in his own words to explore artistic "radicalism". I had already been introduced to Mark Rothko's work from another artist friend and I began to delve into the works of the American Abstractionists. I very quickly arrived at a new place in my development as an artist and became absorbed by the use of abstract colour.

7. St. Ives
I first visited St. Ives, Cornwall in 2006. I was aware that this had become a post war artists colony and had been the base for eminent British artists such as Patrick Heron, Peter Lanyon, Terry Frost and Ben Nicholson. I attended classes at the St. Ives School of Art and learnt about the value of print making as another form of expression. The recently opened Tate St. Ives gallery, premiered the first full retrospective of Roger Hilton " Into Seeing New".  I have returned to St. Ives several times since, always appreciating the surrounding space and light of the landscape. 

8. Slade School -2011
Continuing to experiment, I developed a further variety of techniques at the Slade School of Art, London in 2011. I became interested in the relationship of poetry to visual art and used Japanese Haiku, as a basis for some work. I also developed the continuous line technique, drawing on large sheets of paper placed on the studio floor. These drawings have started to form a base for future paintings and more finished pieces.

9. "Sidney" Understanding Dementia
 I first became exposed to dementia in 2010, after the diagnosis of one of my parents. Seeing how this develops and changes the personality of the individual, is a painful experience. It requires  patience and tender, loving care. After my mother passed in 2o15, I became involved with a dementia charity in North London. "Sidney" is dedicated to one of it's earliest members, who has never been forgotten.


10. Climate Change - "Something is Changing"
My climate change paintings entitled " Something is Changing" were first exhibited at the W3 Gallery, Acton Town, Eco Arts Exhibition in 2018.
To date, I have completed six pieces on the theme of Global warming, using bands of colour to suggest temperature, atmosphere and the changing face of our planet.
I am passionate about our responsibility to take action on climate change. It's consequences will affect the lives of future generations.
 


11. Spirituality "Stations of the Cross"
Faith and spirituality has influenced my work in more recent years. Kandinsky once said " The artist must train not only his eye but also his soul".
I dedicated the oil painting, "Shambo"in 2007 to the slaughtered Hindu bull. "Revelation" reflected on the biblical plight of the Israelites and "Hymn to the Mother of God" was based on a religious piece of music by John Tavener. 
As a Christian, I had seen many contemporary versions of the "Stations of the Cross" but I decided to interpret each step in complete abstraction, avoiding any direct figuration. I completed these acrylic sketches in 2017.


12. Under the Influence of Lockdown 2020
No one, would have expected that 2020, would be the year of the pandemic. We would see significant illness and deaths. We would be asked to confine ourselves to our homes for lengthy periods.
This painting was completed during the first lockdown in London. I was short of materials, so I painted over a previously worked canvas, leaving some of the original marks exposed. Ironically, there is great energy and vibrant colour in this painting. One can almost hear a voice which says "Be creative....... Carry on!" 

I have actually, sometimes given up on art, but it for some reason, has never given up on me. So, sixty years on, I will do my best to "Carry on".

Thanks to my family, many friends, muses, teachers and acquaintances who have supported my artistic endeavors over the years.