Dry Stone Waller 2022

This series of paintings are works in acrylic on paper, they are part of a series titled Dry Stone Waller and continue to draw on the impressions left by those who work the land in my native North Louth.

          The work was conceived through a collection of found objects, drawings and photographs gathered while hill walking. The Dry Stone Waller series explores line, shape and colour while also experimenting with scale and perspective. While the earlier works in the previous series of prints veered towards representational, later works have become more abstract in nature and attempt to challenge the viewer’s notion of landscape. This working from representational to abstract is how I like to work in the studio; I enjoy taking the objects and images collected on an experimental journey using a variety of media.

            The title Dry Stone Waller not only refers to the seasonal chores of hill farmers in the area, it also refers to the renewed connections I made with farmers on the mountain during the pandemic. Traces of these rekindled friendships and heart-warming conversations are present in each of the works.