I am a Limerick based painter exploring the body as a landscape of archetype and symbols. My work engages with the mysteries of the psyche and the human forms capacity to express that which resists language. Working primarily in oil on canvas and wood panel, I draw upon ancient Celtic belief systems and folklore to investigate how personal and collective histories are carried through the body. Often existing as both presence and void, or portals to the unknown, these otherworldly creatures are in a constant state of flux and becoming. Embodying themes of fracture and disconnect, spiritual longing, isolation, gender identity, and human connection, they investigate the nature of both memory and the absurd as mechanisms for self-understanding. With an emphasis on the body as a sacred well of inherent worth, these fae-like entities are imbued with fluidity and atmospheric charge, aligning them with the forces of the natural world. My experimental painting process means that each work holds within it a residue of transformation. It is through continual additions and subtractions of paint layers that these uncanny beings gradually reveal themselves. This process allows me to develop a deeper understanding of the image and subject matter as they emerge. It is through this practice that I seek to uncover something tender and honest amongst all the uncertainty of modern human experience.
