My work is built in a number of foundations, drawing, drawing from observation and life and storytelling. This piece came about after many months of walks and daily drawings in Roundstone pier where I live in the west of Ireland. The local area is not without folklore and at first as I smiled to make this a purely representational painting of the harbour, eventually the mythical and known figures appeared in a secret midnight gathering. Here the real village lies in a world of creativity and exploration, the rich and lengthy art history of Roundstone can often be sidelined by it's reputation as a tourist destination.
The central statue figure is based on a ceramic sculpture given to me by the late artist and writer Tim Robinson and his wife and collaborator Mairead. The sculpture is surrounded by sympathetic characters all at their own work but still paying homage to tradition, quietly, at night, modestly and with authenticity and care. I'm not entirely sure what the narrative is here as often ideas arrive like buses in my head. Some things just exist as they are, explanations unneeded in a precious time and space.