Paul Woods's Artist Profile
Paul Woods
i like artist
Artist's Statement
My work is essentially a synthesis between two prime interests, the visual imagery of military history and the subsequent depiction of these images through the medium of painting. Therefore, the paintings which result from this process can be described as paintings about history, as oppose to the traditional genre of history painting itself. My inspiration is derived from selected photographic war images, which function as a source motif. Once selected, these images form a matrix, which the painting process transforms into works that illustrate and bear testament to my internal and external relationship to the subject matter at hand. I believe, the inherent power and poignancy of these photographic war images have now diminished in today’s society. This is due to the overexposure and saturation of this imagery through its use and distribution by the media. The result is that these images have become entirely permissible in today’s society. The poignancy and historical memory of these images are thus forgotten and rendered impotent. I strongly believe that painting can recharge and recreate the visual significance of war imagery, and employ it to offer moral instruction on our obligations of as human beings in today’s society. Paintings on the subject of warfare and atrocity can also educate and inform people on the tragedy of the human condition through the ages. Painting is therefore given the means to reflect back to the audience the world we live in today, with its own pressing issues of war and conflict. In my work I place emphasis on large scale compositions in order to immerse the spectator into the subject matter of the painting. An aesthetic use of colour is also employed with the intention to visually entice the viewer and to generate an expression of hope. My intention therefore is to filter war imagery through the medium of paint, so that the paintings become autonomous vessels of charged potency illustrating a past we have barely dealt with or have the desire to come to terms with.
Artist's Statement
My work is essentially a synthesis between two prime interests, the visual imagery of military history and the subsequent depiction of these images through the medium of painting. Therefore, the paintings which result from this process can be described as paintings about history, as oppose to the traditional genre of history painting itself. My inspiration is derived from selected photographic war images, which function as a source motif. Once selected, these images form a matrix, which the painting process transforms into works that illustrate and bear testament to my internal and external relationship to the subject matter at hand. I believe, the inherent power and poignancy of these photographic war images have now diminished in today’s society. This is due to the overexposure and saturation of this imagery through its use and distribution by the media. The result is that these images have become entirely permissible in today’s society. The poignancy and historical memory of these images are thus forgotten and rendered impotent. I strongly believe that painting can recharge and recreate the visual significance of war imagery, and employ it to offer moral instruction on our obligations of as human beings in today’s society. Paintings on the subject of warfare and atrocity can also educate and inform people on the tragedy of the human condition through the ages. Painting is therefore given the means to reflect back to the audience the world we live in today, with its own pressing issues of war and conflict. In my work I place emphasis on large scale compositions in order to immerse the spectator into the subject matter of the painting. An aesthetic use of colour is also employed with the intention to visually entice the viewer and to generate an expression of hope. My intention therefore is to filter war imagery through the medium of paint, so that the paintings become autonomous vessels of charged potency illustrating a past we have barely dealt with or have the desire to come to terms with.
I am an Irish artist who graduated in 1995 from Limerick School of Art and Design with a BA Honours Degree in fine art painting. I have exhibited my work in Ireland, Poland and America, where I lived for eight years. My artwork up to date is a visual compendium and evaluation of the tragedy of life lost in warfare, in times when global conflict and economic strife are paramount issues. I paint about personal, collective and universal histories. My work is about the past and memory, and war – or, to use Wilfred Owen’s phrase, “the pity of war” – a theme to which I continually return, as I believe that to understand the past is the only way to make sense of the present. Often of a large scale, my artworks combine painting and photographic techniques to produce a multi-layered image in which the photographic elements can dominate the image or be obliterated by over-painting. This technique becomes a metaphor for the subject itself as it highlights the extent to which history and memory are central to all my works. Through my work I intend to stimulate a dialogue on the role of art in the process of familiarizing and contextualizing history and its cyclical nature. I also think that through the chosen style of abstract expressionism I am able to convey the universality of the subject matter. During the painting process, many layers and films of oil pigment are worked and reworked so that their making becomes mimetic of the processes and understanding of history itself. I always work with specific events and places as it is important to put the subject matter in a real context; however I feel my work can be interpreted universally as a discourse on the human condition and its dark, destructive side. See my website www.paulwoodsart.com for more examples of my artwork or visit http://www.digital-door.com/360-virtual-tours/ for a virtual tour.