FINE ART John Cahill M.A(R.C.A)
I regularly use drawings or photos for reference as a starting point, beginning with very diluted paint and a large sable brush where the main composition is mapped in allowing for any changes to be easily made.
I can often be found when walking out and about in the rural landscape of the Cych Valley, North Pembrokeshire where I live.
Although I’m using nature and the world around me as my subject I don’t feel the need to stick to reality and therefore in the studio it’s the world within the picture that counts. The paintings originate from a location that’s fired my imagination and the subject may linger in my thoughts for many months before I put brush to canvas.
I work throughout using smaller brushes as I progress so that texture, tone and colour are achieved . Decisions constantly being made affect everything in the picture and a lot of pondering goes on in the studio. I often have several on the go at once which works for me as I can leave one for a few days and return with a fresh eye. It’s a slow process but my aim is to create the best possible picture.
Through many years as a full time artist John has developed his unique distinctive style. Water based paint such as gouache and acrylic on a heavy 100% cotton paper allow a combination of wet and dry techniques to utilize the transparent and opaque qualities of the paint and along with the whiteness of the paper itself he controls light and texture. This multi layering uses deliberate dabbing, stippling and pointillism to describe the effects he sees in the world around him and although very time consuming the results are well worth the effort.
