A Clare-based artist will exhibit his work at the Sol Gallery in Dublin from May 22nd next.
Kevin McNamara is originally from Clondalkin in Co Dublin. He was educated locally and always had a passion for drawing and painting and spent much of his time out in the countryside near his home.
After graduating with a degree in fine art, Kevin worked in the commercial arena including film animation with the well-known Don Bluth Studios in Dublin and later with the world famous Disney Company.
He always enjoyed painting for himself particularly outside in nature and when he finished his time in the movie industry, be began to take his own love of painting much more seriously and set up home in Clare.
Kevin Mc Namara’s new collection displays some of the influences the “mudhead” method is having on his work through his own experimentation and study of painting in silhouette.
“Mudhead” was a term used by students of artist and teacher Charles Hawthorne, (b. 1872 – d. 1930). It referred to his techniques of teaching students how to focus on broad colour shapes rather than details while emphasising light and shadow rather than lines. Hawthorne taught this method outdoor in the early morning light or in late afternoon.
These specific times of the day create a silhouette when positioning the model with their backs to the sunlight. This approach of “seeing” colour in silhouette helped the students develop a more keen sense of colour and colour relationships. “Separate into big passages of light and shade. Get the big simplicity of foreground in relation to the mass of sky. Work for simplicity more. Keep the lights together, the darks together. Gather together the big lights and shadows, don’t break them up.” – C.H.
Kevin has studied and adapted the mudhead technique within his own painterly style and applies the method to other subjects such as in his vibrant collection of Connemara Pony paintings. Kevin prefers to paint in natural light and from life to better capture what he observes and experiences in nature.
This exhibition represents Kevins’ ongoing evaluation and pursuit of colour and colour relationships while opening a window into Kevin’s study and love of his surroundings in the rural West of Ireland.
“Everything I see in nature is exploding with colour, especially on a bright sunny morning or in the evening. The light goes so quickly and the colours change in the blink of an eye. I work to capture a moment in time as the colour shapes flow in and out of one another. It’s never the exact same colour at any given time. I really have to search to find the most truthful colour relationships. I’ve come to rely on my memory and return with optimism that it will be just as beautiful tomorrow,” Kevin said.
“This collection is significant in its broad tapestry and size but most importantly, it reflects a body of work deeply immersed in an emotional and literal response to colour relationships presented by life and the atmosphere in rural Irelan”, he added.
Kevin Mc Namara
May 22nd, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
The Times Building 10 D’Olier Street, Dublin
*Kevin recently featured on Clare FM’s Atlantic Tales series.