about my work

My artistic practice is an investigation into the world of shapes and colours. Through the medium of paint I develop layered and textured compositions that celebrate basic forms. Whether creating arrays of geometric shapes or highlighting a single object, I approach each painting as an opportunity to explore the dynamics of how shapes and colours interact one against another. In particular, I am attracted to the contrast I am able to achieve by juxtaposing bright, fluorescent acrylics with their plastic-like nature against the more earthy tones and thick textures achieved with oils, cold wax and sand.

While my work is predominantly abstract, I do occasionally draw and paint from representation in an effort to study objects and scenes that capture my attention and have something to teach me about colour and form. As I am lucky enough to live in the seaside village of Howth, I find inspiration in the organic forms of the seascape and the garden, while visits to my native New York fill my mind with sharper angles and intricate lines of architecture. Similarly, my practice of sketching everyday objects in my house has found its way into paintings of ‘Objects on Tables,’ a current series of minimalist paintings exploring basic shapes in three dimensions.

Through this recent series and in all of my work I am compelled by the challenge of how to take a familiar item such as a box seen many times a day, and through texture, transparency, and playful adjustments colour, line and form, transform it into something new and unexpected. In this way I hope to capture and communicate a little bit of the mystery of ordinary life.