Seeing it Both Ways
Droichead Arts Centre
Drogheda
21 August - 14 September 2002
Seeing it Both Ways is a collection of Padraig's recent work in clay and charcoal first shown at the City Arts Centre Dublin. While the techniques used in Padraig's sculpture and landscapes appear complementary, the subject matter sets them at opposite ends of the tactile and visual spectrum. He says…
"In my work in high-fired hand built stoneware ceramics I use a tactile set of references as a source of inspiration and as a means to work directly with the plastic clay to build up surfaces for touching. Using a conventional mural as my base for working on, I have also extended this to curtain like structures similar to the Japanese screen. People are encouraged to experience by touch bringing alive their tactile aesthetic that all people possess. For Padraig, "sound and music often prompt visual images. Combining my tactile motifs and percussion in these most recent sculptures I have been able to use rhythm to suggest the way I apply my techniques"While Padraig's sculpture is about excluding visual images so he can focus on a tactile aesthetic. His drawings would not exist without his continually recording and evaluating the landscape in a visual way. His use of coloured papers to draw on has been a feature of his work for several years, influenced by his experimentation with filters in photography. Train journeys through Scotland and Italy inspired many of the drawings in this exhibition.