Merrion Close 2

Oil pastel on canvas.
While this project started with exploring the laneways of Clontarf, it gradually extended beyond the locality into the wider Dublin area. My objective was to explore
transitory and normally unseen spaces and to capture the beauty in the everyday. Laneways are transitional spaces, with often unknown destinations. They draw one in with a mixture of curiosity and fear. There is an invitation to enter but a fear of the unknown often prevents the wanderer from entering. Hence, despite the fact that all aspects of human life can be found there, rarely will you encounter another person. My objective as this project developed became to capture this sense of
mystery, curiosity and ominousness and to challenge the viewer to contemplate these everyday places and objects in a new way. By using the black background and reducing and disturbing the image components, I strove to create a sense of eeriness, drama and mystery. In Merrion Close 1 and 2, double yellow lines were
used to draw the viewer further into the image and to invite the question of where does this lane lead, what is around the corner. They further served as an anchor for the eye, providing a sense of direction in the darkness. The project journey unintentionally mirrors one of a personal psychological nature. Additionally the project unintentionally portrays our human ability to view life in a reduced way, only seeing the parts we are interested in/focused on and we don’t always see the others. I have experimented with reducing the components of the original composition in order to reconstruct the original composition into more evocative compositions. What was most important in these pieces was not what was included but what was left out. put in, the resolved pieces being very simple in their final essence.
I have been influenced by George Shaw. His urban/suburban subjects are close to home and he uses his paintings in a nostalgic way to re-examine his life. His choice of subject gave me confidence in my choice of subjects. Like mine, his paintings are not figurative but imbued with human presence which lends them an eeriness evoked by the very lack of figure. Similarly the work of Irish artist John O’Reilly is non figurative and depicts empty spaces and objects used by humans. John's paintings (oil and aerosol) are influenced by graffiti art and bring life to everyday unconsidered urban experiences and places. John's recent work on car parks and Dublin port rely largely on strong architectural compositions which he softens with his use of light and shade brings life to subjects that are largely unconsidered. Angus McEwan has also influenced my work. Angus is interested in the theme of luminal spaces which he explores in his water colours. His use of colour to capture the detail of a rusty door or lock fascinated and inspired me. He describes how his paintings are ‘an invitation to explore the potential of liminal spaces through hyperrealism, to embrace the ambiguity and uncertainty of transition, and to contemplate the potential for transformation and growth.’ I enjoy the work of Dublin born, Belfast based multidisciplinary artist Johnathon Brennan. Jonathan has recently created a series of digital images of leaves falling through an empty black background which has given me the idea to continue the dissolution of the drain pipe image to allow the orange leaf on the pipe to fall through empty space on a black background as the final image. Jonathon describes how removing the background allows the subject to take center stage, which resonates with me. The work of David Hockney (and indeed Cubism) has influenced the later part of my project research. I enjoy how David deconstructs photographs into fragments and reassembles them, playing with the composition and disrupting the original image in order to present a Cubism influenced multi-faceted image.