Niall J. Ward
Artist StatementMy work at present consists of a rendering of abstract expressionist applications of paint and brushstrokes to create veristic surrealist landscapes that ooze from the canvas with aesthetic organic form and a flowing energy, saturated in exuberant colour. Sometimes showing automatist qualities in larger pieces, I have experimented with various techniques to create paintings that capture the viewer’s eye, to provide them with a window into my interior self, away from this world of mutual destruction. My aim is to study as many areas of nature as possible to influence my portrayal of this chaotic yet beautiful planet and beyond. By bringing aesthetic beauty back into irrational and frenzied brush strokes and by the unusual organic-meets-mineral aspect found in my work I express and emphasize my feelings towards a link between the illogical formations of our natural world and the inevitable demise of the human race due to nuclear fallout or global warming. Nature harnesses the gift of life and can just as easily take it away. These paintings, although sometimes different in method and appearance, share the same fundamental purpose. By providing a spiritual or aesthetically beautiful experience, I wish to bring unique images of our fragile natural world and beyond to life but also to remind us that we will not be here forever and that we must cherish what we have got. BiographyBorn in Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh in 1981, I spent a lot of time visiting the west coast of Ireland and painting some of the amazing scenery it has to offer. I moved to Belfast in 2000 to study for a Foundation Certificate of Art and Design and later a Degree in Fine and Applied Arts in the University of Ulster. My work consisted of detailed traditional landscapes such as those of the west coast and of some darker imagery influenced by artists such as Giger, Bosch and Beksinski. During my time in college, I developed a style of painting that refrained from my usual methods but maintained an attention to detail. Influenced by automatisic qualities of surrealist and psychedelic artists such as Max Ernst, early works of Tom Blackwell and Bernard Saby and by applying paint to canvas through techniques such as decalcomania, bulletism, eclaboussure and soufflage. I brought detail, depth and organic line back into my paintings by rendering or manipulating some areas of paint with a fine brush. I began to create large canvases (chance configurations), each named simply with the first word that was invoked when viewing the finished painting, that contain organic forms, thrusting energies, electric, vibrant colours and a use of line that attracts the viewer to gaze at the image. These unfiltered scenes of my subconscious invite the viewer to interpret the work as he or she wishes. I now live in Carlow, in the south of Ireland with my own family, where the work I am currently involved with combines this method of painting, with my interest in landscapes to again create art that is noticed for its aesthetics instantly. Sharing veristic surrealist qualities these paintings depict many typical Irish and British countryside or coastal scene. The places that I have visited have left a lasting impression on me. Trees savaged by the elements, vast open fields, valleys and dramatic skies. Again these works, filled with intricate pictorial spaces, allow the viewer their own interpretation but leave a subtle message in their title relating to a journey I have experienced. I anticipate painting different parts of the world. Places where the landscape is completely alien, the earth a different colour and vegetation unfamiliar. It’s a big world out there and I look forward to every new encounter, to provide the viewer with another window into my interior self. Member DataMembership: exclusive member since May 18, 2008 |
