Following the Thread

On memory, landscape, and the beginnings of a new body of work

As I begin thinking about what the next collection of paintings might be, I often find myself looking back at the ones that came before. Dúchas is rooted in a sense of belonging to the land - something instinctive about place and inheritance, about the pull of landscape that exists beyond language. With Cadence, the starting point was slightly different. I became aware of the relationship between music and painting - rhythm, repetition, the way a feeling can build slowly through subtle shifts rather than obvious gestures. Looking back now, they both seem to be reaching towards the same thing: a certain atmosphere, a feeling of place and experience that is difficult to explain in a literal way.

From the Cadence collection.

The more I think about this, the more I realise that this way of noticing has always been part of my life.