Friday, October 9, 2009

Within a Lover's Reach

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Within a Lover's Reach -oil/panel - 7"x5"

The observational analytic pieces I create are a real means to an end. I have found the disciplined process of working this way for the last year and a half to be extremely beneficial to me as regards 'seeing' and my application of paint in descriptive passages.
Capturing the essence of things for example - a recent painting of various wild flowers and roses is imbued with the sense of 'each individual flower'. There 'essence' is captured.

My vision was formed over the years largely by working alone, living on small islands off the coast of Cambodia. From the age of nineteen I have continued to work relentlessly on my motif.
As a child I drew hooded figures - when I travelled to Asia the hoods came down and a more transcendent figure emerged.
Even in my quite’ island paintings’ I feel the figure present - perhaps we are seeing through his eyes. Often there are sticks or stakes which break the linear horizontal plane and shoot upward vertically.To me these represent humanity, spirit and human endeavour.

As the days brightened up during my stay in residency at Cill Rialaig I began seeing the motifs closest to my heart emerging - an island just like the islands I had gazed upon day after day in south east Asia.
I couldn't believe I had found islands in Ireland that made me yearn in the same way.

- Richard

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