Mary Clare Nolan - Artist
PAINTINGS
Artist's Statement
I spent many of my formative years in the west of Ireland, in Galway and Clare, and ever since, the Atlantic Ocean, nature's theatre of the sublime, has had a firm grip on my mode of expression. But what began as observations and understandings of a particular place, has gradually become more about the capricious turbulent forces which sculpt those places.
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For me, my paintings are about transition, often portraying the weather in flux, where evanescent light has broken through or when rain is about to fall, but ultimately unsure if the storm is arriving or departing. With this in mind, I apply paint loosely, and with colour try to imbue a fluency, which hopefully creates an ephemeral and atmospheric quality that characterizes perfectly the transience of the natural world.
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I choose subject matter which embody the tensions, as well as the majesty of nature’s elements, and therefore is indicative of the sublime, and the notion that we are all at the mercy of something greater. I also want to create moments of solitude in these paintings, removed from modern life. I aim to push my paintings beyond representation, and hopefully offer the viewer a space for reverence and reflection.
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