CONTEMPORARY IRISH ARTIST
My Work
I am a self-taught artist, painting contemporary, abstract, expressionistic work, reflecting the sea, shore and harbour life.
I express my response to being in and by the sea through my painting. Living on the south coast of Cork inspires my work.
Colour, texture, shape, sound and sensation emerge on the canvas to reflect a sense of the place. This environment is constantly changing, affected by season, weather and tide.
Working at my desk I see ships come and go from the busy harbour. They glide in to dock and, exchanges complete, glide silently away again into the ocean beyond the harbour.
Walking on the beach, I collect flotsam and jetsam, rope and net fragments (ghost gear), sea plastic, weathered driftwood. Each fragment tells its own story. These inspire colours, shapes and textures, I use them for mark making or as collage elements, bringing the sense of place onto the canvas.
Sea swimming at first causes a 'cold shock' at which all concerns are forgotten beyond controlling the breath. Once acclimatised, there are myriad sensations, colours changing, light on water, movement on waves, enjoyed until the cold becomes just too much and you emerge 'reset' back onto the shore.
A little bit about me
I grew up in West Cork and some of my earliest and happiest memories are of the sea and shore. I even learned to swim in the frigid Atlantic! Although I gained a place at art college, I instead moved to Paris at 18. Living on the Left Bank for a year, I worked for an artist-photographer, learned French and was surrounded by art and design - museums like the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay and Musée Rodin were literally on my doorstep. I returned to Ireland to study and on graduating began working in technology, but always with one eye on art and design. I consider myself lucky to be able to combine my art with a parallel career in applying the latest technologies to improve people's lives.