Studio Gallery: Saul Cathcart – Considered Intuition

26th April 2019 - 11th May 2019

Private View: Friday 26th April, 17:30 -19:30

All welcome to attend!

 

“Knowing when to stop and leave a painting alone is something every artist has to confront and question. If you don’t sort this out, then you are forever disappointed with the result.

My work has to excite me, but I also want this to be relayed to the viewer – particularly in the way the painting is constructed, so that when you look at a piece you not only feel what I felt at the time it was created, but you also get an understanding of how it was made.

When I paint directly from life and listen to my instinct, a chaotic yet logical rhythm starts to reveal itself in front of me, as if every mark I make starts to encapsulate what I’m feeling and experiencing all at once.

I want to lose myself in this moment and not think about what makes a ‘good’ painting.
But after a while there comes a point where all this energy starts to blur, as marks get muddled together – so when my brush suddenly stops and there’s a silence, I know it’s worth stepping back to see if I have something.

This moment fascinates me. Something has clicked, and the painting is humming. It’s often just at the edge of turning into a completely different painting with a completely different feel. There’s a tension or movement within the piece, almost like I’m seeing through it.

But does it hold my attention enough?

If I decide to continue then it must be total commitment to the next stage: am I ok with losing what I already have? I must have stopped for a reason….

This is the danger zone, where the brain starts to question itself. I just sit with it awhile and if both my head and heart are happy, then I have a rare and precious thing in front of me.

There is something so positive about painting my local coastline. I know it, so it allows me to be free and confident when creating paintings in situ. Where I live helps define me, and in turn my work.

When I return to places I have a connection to, it makes me realise that it’s important to keep things simple, to paint the paintings I want to paint – because what’s more important than painting what you love?”