Mar 26, 20232 min read

A Cross-pollinating show

The Joy of Spring

What is Important?

In my painting I dig to the crucial elements of my subjects and their significance at that moment in time. Seeing the wider world in smaller form, I ask myself “what is important here?”.

Figurative work

Essentially my work is figurative, that is that its origins are from something that is real and tangible. In this show flowers. My paintings are all started from drawing something that is real in front of me and from there can develop away from the subject allowing the paint and the shapes to evolve and create compositions that teeter on being abstract.

Abstract

I often look at paintings - and even the world - in shapes and abstract forms and colour. I am struck by line but also solid form. Too much line and I can loose the structure, too much form and it looses the energy. Somewhere in there working between the two the painting strikes a balance that is infused with the energy of that process.

Observation

I work with the flowers in front of me - I need to refer to them, count petals, consider the leaf structure and the movement of the plant. Although the work may not appear analytical, these things form the base of the work.

Inspiration

I draw inspiration from a wide cross section of artists from Matisse to Joan Eardley, Giacometti and Picasso to German expressionists and Dutch portrait artists; from Margaret Mellis to Instagram posts. I thrive on the stimulation of the art world doing its thing, evolving. Authenticity is key.

Alchemy

A painting can be completed in a day or a year. The Daffodils here have layers and complexity built upon each other and the nature of acrylic drying in layers enables that. The Blue Hyacinths have layers of oil which can bleed in to the next layer. Alchemy raised from the work beneath creating depth and intrigue, finding energy. I use wax, ink, oil, collage, gouache, pencil, charcoal, chalk and pastel to make shapes and marks that interact with each other and vibrate. What the viewer thinks and feels is the completion of the process.

Cross Pollination

Spring is Sprung his is a vibrant collection of artists with works cross pollinating in a spring breeze across the gallery in which Katie O’Brien has found a cohesive narrative.

Some of my pieces in the show Spring is Sprung at 44ad opening on Wednesday 29th. PV on 31st. further info here: