“My ultimate goal is to seek feeling in my art, and be unafraid to share what I find.”
I have always been driven by the visual side of my mind. I see colour, shape, texture and light as the alphabet we use in our visual language, a language that allows us to explain, explore, express and communicate. This is what drew me to study visual communication at The College of Marketing and Design, now better known as TUD. I’ve been a practicing designer ever since, working with a number of large practices in Dublin before establishing my own. It’s a very satisfying way to make a living, using visual expression to communicate and explain. But I find my passion for graphic design is fed and nourished by my painting. Where graphic design communicates one way - to its audience - painting is a two-way conversation. More often than not, the painting instructs me, challenging me to reveal its story. I may not be aware of what I’m looking for until I find it. Indeed, my ultimate goal is to seek feeling, and be unafraid to share what I find.
Though acrylic is my favourite medium, we have an open relationship! I sometimes explore oils, gouache, metallic leaf, ink, charcoal or anything that might enhance the visual storytelling experience. And the best part of it is, hearing what other people see in my work.
Current work is available to see here on the website and I also undertake commissions. My studio is in MART Village Studios in Harold’s Cross, D6W, Ireland. Feel free to send me an email or call 086 2679989 for all enquiries.
For details of upcoming events and exhibitions see www.mart.ie
Artist Statement
I am drawn to Contemporary Painting because it’s the improvisational jazz of the visual arts. We can begin a piece with a thought or direction in mind but, before we know it, the paint is dictating its own terms. The canvas and paint aren’t so much ‘media’ as our collaborators, delivering shapes, shades and layers we could not have planned.
As the picture develops and forms take shape, a story always emerges. There’s that point where you know it is complete, the balance of light and tone is just right. It’s a meditative process - calming, restorative and fulfilling. In terms of appreciation, my taste in art is very broad but Contemporary Painting is the perfect complement to my work as a designer. It allows me to explore and experiment which, in turn, replenishes the conceptual toolbox I need for graphic design and commercial digital projects.
