These days I work in series and also individual paintings, drawings, and assemblage. My mediums are oil paint, acrylic, ink, pencil, collaged fabric, assembled wood/ various 3d objects and paper. I try to let ideas come to me and sometimes let the pieces speak to me through their creation using editing as part of the process. They are usually colorful and often try to illustrate the contrast of living in the sparsely populated Fermanagh countryside of my youth, and living in the city with a diverse population. I have lived in Ireland, England, Amsterdam and Los Angeles. I now call Houston, Texas home. Where I live with my wife and two daughters. These experiences and diverse populations have influenced my work. There are so many ways to represent population architecture and nature, that I am constantly going between mediums to describe these relationships.
CV
2016- 2017- C.A.R Los Angeles
2018 two man show Hardy and Nance gallery- Houston Texas
2019 The joy of painting group show- Devin Borden gallery- Houston Texas
2020 The Pandemic Faire group show on Glasstire- online show in Glasstire magazine
2020 Adaptation-A virtual Exhibition- a group show for Artists for artists.
Artist Statement
A lot of the time the shapes in my paintings and drawings are like characters or individuals trying to coexist in a space on canvas or paper, just like we do in cities. In some series I am with the viewer looking through a window or down a tunnel at forms floating in space. Sometimes the shapes go off the edge; I want the viewer to think “What's around the corner?”, much like we all wonder whats around the next corner in our everyday lives. I am interested in relationships between the objects I make, movement, landscapes or environments, composition and space.
My assemblage work is all about collaging 2d/ 3d forms. A lot of the time its about reusing wood and material to give it a second life. Its like making a jigsaw puzzle whilst inventing the pieces. When hurricanes happen there is so much material ruined. I wanted to find a way to reuse it and mix it with drawing or painting. It also gives me the opportunity to make unusual shapes.
In general I always loved getting lost in paintings, so I want the viewer to do the same. I want to make work that takes people away. The landscapes I looked out across over the years always make me think of the road ahead, distance not yet covered and the possibilities for the future. So I try to emulate that feeling in my work.
