LORCAN WALSHE

As a painter, I work within a tradition of European art. My approach to painting is informed by two distinct strands in Western European painting; one derives from Florence and the Flemish School where artworks were semi-illustrations, the other stems from Titian and Velazquez where painting can sometimes extend beyond the reach of the intellect and occur in the realm of the senses as a distinct spiritual experience.

My creativity is generally a reflection of life in much the same way as dreams are a reflection of the unconscious. My early work drew from sources of mysticism, symbolism, and psychology, at a time of self-discovery and introspection. My later work is an exploration of culture, identity, and the human spirit.

While the technical revolution of recent years and the ascendency of conceptual art have given new approaches to creative expression and art forms, I am inclined to think that painting is essentially outside and independent of these developments and remains on a trajectory that is as ancient as humanity. Human consciousness and evolution are indelibly connected to the dexterity of the human hand and the impulse to make a mark. Indeed, much of modern painting is concerned with the interchangeable dynamics of figuration and abstraction that were also the same concerns of Palaeolithic artists 30,000 years ago. Everything changes and everything remains the same; we are always at the beginning.