My memories of my home in Harlech Crescent up to the age of 23 are best described as leafy and idyllic. My first stop beyond Dublin was New York in 1981, where I was exposed to the birth of rap culture and graffiti artists moving into art galleries. I traveled to Mexico and did my first paintings on walls in Merida, influenced by the mural tradition. On my return to New York, I saw the film Black Girl by Ousmane Sembene from Senegal and decided to move there. I settled in a fishing town, Ngor, a suburb of Dakar, exploring the incredible music scene and also playing my saxophone with musician friends.  Although poor materially, both the people and culture in Dakar were vibrant and open. Two years later, I moved to London, where the rave culture was emerging. It was when I moved to Brussels that I began to focus more on painting, completing a course in Trompe l'Oeil at the Van der  Kelen Institute. Although I was starting to paint more, much of the work was decorative. I moved back to Dublin in the late 1990s, and the years that followed were filled with decorative paintwork and gardening.  A real turning point in my artwork emerged during the COVID lockdown, where I had the privilege to work intensely and alone, exploring colour and form. I began to like my work and repurposed a  large storage space into my art studio at the end of my garden. I had my first show in my studio in the summer of 2022 for friends who encouraged me to apply for the Irish government’s BIA scheme, and I am now a recipient of that three-year support program for artists.This summer, one of my earlier geometric acrylic paintings was shown at the National College of Art and Design(NCAD) 2023 summer show. AdieuLeafyIdyll is my first public art exhibition at my family home in Harlech Crescent, Ardilea.  Thank you, Mum and Dad. 

Artists Statement

The Recurrence of Harmony 

I see the modern urban space populated with vast interconnecting cultural hybridity and when harmonious its joyful and ripe with possibility. I started this acrylic series with random geometric juxtapositions reflecting an urban flux. I then minimised the random aspect and began to reconfigure it aesthetically. Although preconceived there were always elements of improvisation especially in relation to colour choice and also my goals to achieve overall coherence.

Chalk Play

This is a pastel series. The immediacy of chalk on paper is tactile and direct. Erasure is difficult once the mark is made so although spontaneous there is also rigour. I’m interested in movement and how it can suggest a counterpoint. Colours are as musical notes, and a visual scale emerges. The gestation is mysterious, but honing a quiet mind facilitates inspiration and mood settles in too. The results often surprise me as I’m within a process unconcerned with destination. When I look at the pastels various images surface. Some feel like haikus describing quiet days listening to tidal rhythms. Africa beats a loud drum in others. Also, imaginary landscapes, infinite space and geological time are present. These are glimpses and not prescriptive.