Heart of Darkness

Chapter 1 (p8)
"At that time there were many blank spaces on the earth, and when I saw one that looked particularly inviting on the map (but they all look that) I would put my finger on it and say, When I grow up I will go there."

Chapter 2 (p55)
"...and I saw a face amongst the leaves on the level with my own, looking at me very fierce and steady; then suddenly, as though a veil had been removed from my eyes, I made out, deep in the tangled gloom, naked breasts, arms, legs, glaring eyes - the bush was swarming with human limbs in movement, glistening, of bronze colour."

Chapter 3 (p72)
"...and there it was, black, dried, sunken, with closed eyelids - a head that seemed to sleep at the top of that pole, and , with the shrunken dry lips showing a narrow white line of  the teeth, was smiling too, smiling continuously at some endless and jocose dream of that eternal slumber."

Here is my entry for the House of Illustration/Folio Society Competition 2014. This year's book was "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad.

BE - One Word Brief

This is a piece of self-initiated work in response to the Onewordbrief. The word in this case is BE which I have interpreted as BEhind. The image is about departure, leaving the past behind and embarking on a journey. As the narrative moves across the triptych the landscape changes, we see urban bustle dissolve until the individual remains standing alone on the edge of the city.

Brave New World - House of Illustration/Folio Society Competition

Chapter IV, 2 (p55):
The hangars were staffed by a single Bokanovsky Group, and the men were twins, identically small, black and hideous. 

Chapter VII (p93):
'I wish we could have brought the plane,' said Lenina, looking up resentfully at the blank impending rock-face. 'I hate walking...'

Chapter XV (p187):
And pushing open a window... he began to throw the little pill-boxes of soma tablets in handfuls out into the area.

I've entered the House of Illustration/Folio Society illustration competition. The book for this year's competition was "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley.

Umbrella

I've entered this image in Lloyds Art of Nurture Competition. The theme of the illustration is 'We Act Wisely'. I’ve represented the simple act of bringing an umbrella in case of rain to illustrate this concept. I wished to show that a wise decision does not have to be a grand gesture but can also be a very simple everyday action. The everyday choices we make can have a positive effect on not just ourselves but also on those around us.

7 sins

I've created some new works for the 7 sins contest. The concept of 7 deadly sins seems rather archaic to me so I was keen to interpret them in a way that was contemporarily relevant.

I decided to create a series of landscapes which represented the sins Wrath, Greed and Gluttony. 

I interpreted gluttony as excessive consumption to the point of waste and depicted  a mound of e-waste to represent this concept. Much of the western world's obsolete electronic devices are exported to developing countries for recycling where labour is cheaper. But because of lax regulations in the procedures for this recycling, the process is often extremely polluting and hazardous.

I've got a sort of a fascination with cranes and they're a recurring image in my work. I suppose this may stem from spending so many years living in Dublin during the days of the Celtic tiger economy. They were a regular fixture in the city, appearing like mechanical dinosaurs in the landscape. I've always had mixed feelings about cranes. In one way, the sight of them is comforting - a symbol of prosperity, yet in another way they have an almost spectral presence. The 'renewal' process so often results in the destruction of interesting old parts of the city and their replacement by yet another indentikit block of 'luxury' apartments. Much of this sort of  development is short-sighted and entirely motivated by greed. Many of these dwellings now lie abandoned and uninhabited since the recession hit.

I wanted to express wrath in terms of frustration, a sort of simmering rage. When people feel disenfranchised they get angry and if this anger has no constructive outlet it will find a destructive one.

I had some ideas for the other remaining 4 sins - Sloth, Pride, Lust and Envy so will perhaps continue to develop this project.