I studied art and design in College of Marketing and Design in Dublin, and moved to Yorkshire to study textiles in Bradford in 1986. Although I went on to become a commercial textile printer in London I continued to paint throughout that time. I settled on the Shropshire/Welsh borders in 1992 and started to exhibit in this area. As a self-employed artist, I run art workshops and I also exhibit with ‘Abstract Edge’ a group of 10 abstract artists. I now concentrate solely on painting and find this the most rewarding medium for me creatively.
A large part of my work is abstract but, if pushed, I would describe myself as a landscape painter as this is often the starting point and inspiration for my work.
Recently, I have been experimenting with screen printing images onto canvas which form the “bones” of work which are then surface painted so that a skeletal “x-ray” trace shows through the paint layers, exposing the original memory of the piece.
My most recent work is concerned with urban landscapes and I have been developing and documenting the themes of urban regeneration, change, upheaval and decay through the recession using photographic montages , begun as part of my recent AA2A artists' residency in Hereford Art College.
I have been motivated artistically by rapidly changing cities such as Cardiff and Marrakech, which I visited as part of my recent trips to Morocco, and the colours of both, cold sea swept South Wales and damp sun bleached Essaouira in southern Morocco have seeped into my work.
My new body of work will focus on my most recent roadtrip from Paris to Berlin... watch this space!