Never Grow Old.

A number of months ago I came across these converse sneakers on the floor of a students studio space at the Burren College of Art. I stopped to ponder the image which evoked strong memories and symbolised for me an adolescent moment frozen in time.

The shoes, strewn together on the floor, reminded me of my carefree time in college where I searched, played and 'partied hard'. Behind the shoes lies a black ball point biro - it's tip illuminated by light. During my time in college and for many years beforehand I worked primarily with such a pen on my notebook drawings. It's amazing what marks one can accomplish with such a simple tool.

A couple of days ago I finished and put my signature to this small oil painting.
I hope you like it and it speaks to you of fun times also.

Never Grow Old, 2016
oil on canvas panel - 24x18cm

All Forms Are Unstable

Over the past month I have concentrated on sharing images and ideas around my abstract works. Throughout that time I have been working solely on my representational paintings.

I choose many of my still life subjects for their inherent formal and abstract qualities. This image of a work in process may best represent that idea for you. 

A decaying wall of peeling paint lends itself to be explored in a considered formal manner which of course involves getting the drawing right so as to describe the illusion of three dimensional space accurately on a two dimensional surface, following the fall of shadow and carefully rendering where and how the peeling paint cracks, splits and rolls.

At the same time this subject lends itself to an abstract application and exploration, where the substance of paint itself is being utilised in the building and reductive passages within the picture plain.

Painting for me is an abstract endeavour from concept to completion and the more an image offers me the chance at describing this sort of fracture while simultaneously expanding my painterly vocabulary, the more gratified and excited I feel to be able to explore and push my visual boundaries.

All Forms Are Unstable, 2016. (work in process)
Private Collection, Boston.
oil on linen,
100 x 70cm