This painting was inspired by a card I received from a student. In it he said that he spent the best moments of his week in my class. He was an asylum seeker living in cramped accommodation and found the class a respite from his day to day living. I was very moved by his message.
My work could be described as abstract expressionist. When I started painting I was interested in external landscape in particular the natural world. I grew up in the south west of Ireland surrounded by idyllic landscape and later moved to the north west which is equally dramatic. I have been inspired by nature since childhood and my work has explored details of natural beauty.
In recent years I have moved away from external to internal landscape. I have become more interested in the intuitive expression of what lies beneath, the subconscious world. Painting is a spiritual meditative experience for me, where I delve into the space of infinite creativity and possibility. It is a retreat from the noisy chaotic world around me where I attempt to make sense of things and explore the vortex of the infinite mind.