The last week and a half have been spent furthering my studio practice.
I started with a week long intensive course in abstract painting at the Burren College of Art.
It was such a great experience for me - to be back in a shared space and to be surrounded by new books, ideas and all the tools I needed to advance.
For many years I have been interested in the rigour of abstract painting, especially the abstract expressionists, and actually came to base my Bachelor of Arts thesis on the study of their work through the eyes of Freudian psychoanalysis.
The real breakthrough of the week happened for me a day or so before the end of the course when I came across a book about the work practices of Gerhard Richter entitled The Daily Practice of Painting: Writings 1962 - 1993. Even though Richter appears to have been this incredible manipulative personality, further understanding of his work practices and an understanding about the bewildering heterogeneity of his work has given me an ever freer approach to my own studio practice and development.
I produced some sixteen abstractions of various sizes during the week all based on memories of a recent trip to North County Mayo. Look forward to take these piece to a finish and share them with you at some stage in the not to distant future.
Below some recent studio shots for you to see.
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