Institution
Limerick School of Art and Design (LSAD)
Medium
Painting
Graduation Year
Class of 2025
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Storytelling and myth-weaving are at the heart of my work. However, like an unbound book, I hope to provide no singular, concrete story. Figures crowd together, colliding and merging in a cacophony of ambiguous activity, at once existing on multiple planes, yet still in relationship with one another. Rather than offering fixed meanings, my painted worlds are an open invitation for viewers to bring their own lives, interpretations, and imaginations into the story. An integral part of my process is the rearrangement of painted parts, which has become both a method for generating imagery and a standalone practice, as seen in my installation 'The Garden'. This approach emerged from exploring ways to contact subconscious and repressed aspects of myself. I often grapple with the tension between being confined by preconceived ideas of what a ‘masterpiece’ should be and simply giving my imagination space to exist freely. This inner need for authentic expression became intensely apparent during a period of hospitalisation, when image-making became my lifeline and sole link to selfhood, an experience that transformed my approach to art. Rather than clinging to a finished outcome, I now prioritise the act of creation, letting intuition guide the imagery, and vice versa, as each work unfolds. The seed of each motif is spontaneous, sparked by my dreams, daily life, and personal history. I blend these experiences with the symbolic language of ancient myth, drawing on the narrative imagery of Athenian red-figure vases and the archetypal forms of Palaeolithic Venus figurines. I strive to converge these influences into a visual language that feels deeply personal while also resonating with broader human experience. Despite my frequent engagement with past and often difficult personal content, I am more invested in possibility, flexibility, and the reimagining of the story — in the ‘becoming’ of it all.
