Fergus is a Dublin born painter who as a mature student achieved an Honours Degree in Fine Art, Painting In the National College of Art and Design graduating in 2017.
The expressionist work speaks of the erosion of the landscape , which he associates withto memory loss through old age or illness, memories become uncertain, part remembered, changed , altered , slowly deteriorating over time . I use the genre of landscape to express this theme ,using a pouring technique to begin with, followed on with knives and brushwork. The resulting artworks imply something familiarly identifiable. The pouring aspect creates other spaces, unusual but recognisable , and patterns create a sense of pareidolia
The realist paintings became a more common part of my website, during the Coronavirus lockdown. I escaped via a virtual tour of Ireland using source materials like photographs , found images ,and memories I mainly use brushes, sponges and knives to produce these artworks.
Ode to painting
Working On It
Painting pouring brushes knives
Sponges rags whatever applies
Removing paint to redo
Linking layers the painting through,
Underpainting part exposed
Like memories partly decomposed
Another link to time or place
An eroded shoreline or mountain space
what was, what is what might have been
within the paintings
Is the theme.
Blank Canvas
This blank canvas has naught to say
this new beginning
a fresh foray ,
be it naked or gesso skinned
an oily coat
a painters whim,
some say it’s a cliff face to be scaled
a daunting task
to be assailed,
we walk away to recoup
clear the mind
flee the coop,
then not,
just another start
a passing wind.
untethered fart,
for all practitioners who do endure
that blank canvas
Can be a hoor.
Email : fergussmith.62@gmail.com
Phone: 0871690227
Instagram: fergusart
Fergus Smith – Painter
