Grant McSherry; Artist's Statement.

"Art is a human expression; an artist’s paintings are unique, like fingerprints. For me painting is about combining my individuality and creative ability to reinvent my own experiences and sense of place. I consider my oil paintings to be entities of presence rather than mere images, soulful in comparison to the digitally created and enhanced imagery we consume daily. I don’t limit my work by the constraints of today’s general mantra of ‘quick and cheap’… My art takes time and energy and it demands the use of quality materials - my paintings carry my name."

The imagery that I work with is the foundation of my process. I capture ideas with a camera and this involves early mornings, big drives and long tramps. Rather than simply taking photos and copying them, my process is about understanding what elements drive each image and how I need to work with those elements to evoke the feelings I want to convey.

While I am no photographer, I really enjoy image hunting expeditions and liken them in a way to sea fishing, where you leave in the morning hopeful of what you may get, never knowing what you might return with at the end of the day, if anything.

I am essentially a self taught painter; I discovered oil painting at the age of sixteen and initially continued until I was around nineteen. When I picked up the brushes again in 2000, after a hiatus of almost twenty years, my painting had progressed considerably even though during that long period I hadn't painted anything. On reflection I had incorporated some of the life skills acquired during my time of ‘incubation’. I constantly considered landscapes, watched the light, pondered how I might paint all of this and I studied other artist’s work.

Just as importantly though, I had been taught valuable lessons through my business career. During my time away from painting I had learnt that whatever I do, I need to understand exactly what I want to achieve and how I am going to achieve it, before I start any project. The latter was the key message in my article in International Artist Magazine in 2009.

Drawing is tedious for me; my enjoyment comes from working with colour. As a painting begins to ignite my enjoyment escalates to a buzz.

I strive to continue to learn and develop my art, treating each new oil painting as a challenge.

- Grant McSherry 2012.