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Work from 2009

...March 2009

 

Since the beginning of this year I have been painting the same image again and  again.  It is a painting of a soldier who has returned from war, a broken man.  I called it : “What I’ve seen”  and as I write this, I have just completed my 10th version of it.  That was the largest one so far.  It is pictured above and it measures 140 x 90cm.  Most of the other pieces are only 20 x 20cm - like the

two seen on the left hand side. 

 

This work explores how photography and painting differ and compete as modes of representation.  Each painting is different -  it is fascinating to see how even the smallest change in brush stroke will alter the final expression.

 

Using the one image allows for a wide variety of readings and nuances to emerge,

in relation to both photography and painting  - how colour and size matter, how repetition affects the message, how cropping alters the effect, how each mark or defect makes a difference…

 

 

 

 

 

...August 2009

 

In these recessionary times in Ireland, city dwellers have begun again to grow their own vegetables.  Perhaps there is some reassurance in having a connection with nature.  They often construct scarecrows to watch over their crops.  I became interested in these strangely human constructions and I began a series of drawings.  I perceived them as metaphor.  Scarecrows vary widely but they all seem to take on human characteristics as they stand out boldly in the allotments to scare away the crows.  They can be heroic, comical, even strangely sinister but they were built with a serious purpose, ie: to protect the food source, to serve the community...  and yet, can we depend on them for anything?  Their arrogant poses cannot hide the fact that their straw-filled limbs are not very effective in the face of adversity.

...November 2009

 

Continuing with the Scarecrow theme, I began making larger drawings on A0 size rice paper, a difficult task because the rice paper is quite delicate and doesn’t allow much manipulation.  You only really get one chance to get it right.  I liked the lightness of the material and I think that its organic feel suits my theme.  I’ve been thinking of the changing seasons, and our poor ole scarecrows,  out in the fields being constantly battered by wind and rain.