Inspired by sacred landscape.Influenced by sunsets, trees, dolmens, and stone circles

My paintings represent the spirit of the natural world. They are inspired by the landscape in which I live and work, namely the extreme south west point of Ireland where the mountains of the Iveragh Peninsula dip into the Atlantic Ocean.

It is a land of ancient habitation, where myths of the magical Tuatha de Danaan , invasions of Gaels and warrior poets, and later centuries of Christian monks on Skellig Michael and the mainland, are woven into the fabric of the region. It is the beauty of this landscape, the scale and grandeur of the mountains and bays, silver seas, brooding clouds and incredible sunsets that inspires my work.

The great English visionary artist J.M.W.Turner has always been for me, the most inspirational landscape painter throughout my career. He moved through all the stages from his topographical early work, mastering his technique painstakingly, to becoming so fluid that by the end of his life his paintings of sunsets had become the spiritual essence of light and colour

Irish visionary art has previously been represented by George Russell (AE) and WB Yeats during the Celtic revival, and earlier by Richard Doyle in the mid nineteenth century. The time has come around again to connect with our true nature and reflect the spiritual energy of our land and heritage

I spent many years painting trees in the Wicklow hills where I used to live, beautiful oaks covered in moss, giant beeches, ash and hawthorn. They convey their individual spirit as you sit there patiently concentrating on their form and texture, and really seeing the essence of the tree. They hold a great deal of earth wisdom and I love their anthropomorhic shape

Dolmens and stone circles are a fascinating subject to paint. What emerges is the energy of the ancient stones and the spirit of the people who placed them there in a sacred landscape