Geraldine Leahy
Geraldine Leahy returned to education to study painting with The Open College of the Arts. Her practice involvesthe observation of traces and imprints in the landscape, the marks of both natural and human activity. Cross-disciplinary investigations into memory and place inform her work, which is concerned with coastal erosion. Sheobserves the entanglements of manmade and natural materials and the impact mankind has had on the coastline.
'Corrosion - Erosion' monoprint, acrylic & gouache on canvas board 'The shapes in this painting represent the hexagonal cement defences placed on the eroded beach, as well as the plethora of corroded metal objects embedded in the sand.'
I work with shoreline materials, both natural and manmade, such as plastic, rope and dune grasses, which I embed into a painting surface by mono-printing. This process signifies the way items on the beach are embedded in the sand following severe weather events. Adding and erasing layers of acrylic and gouache references a sense of temporality as well as the erosive quality of the elements. I explore the incongruity of manmade materials which often, ironically, assume the appearance of natural forms throughout the painting process. These forms mutate into evocations of the entanglement of mankind and the natural world. I create intriguing pieces which I hope will encourage the viewer to reflect on climate change.
'Ghost Plastic' monoprint, acrylic & gouache on canvas board 'Ghost Plastic, like ghost nets, floats elusively in the water, creating havoc for marine life.'
'Mutation' monoprint, acrylic & gouache on canvas board 'Here, plastic strands found on the beach have mutated into a shoreline creature during the painting process.'
'Flow' monoprint, acrylic & gouache on paper 'Flow represents polluted waterways in a desolate landscape.'
'Frayed Rope' monoprint, acrylic & gouache on canvas board 'A piece of frayed rope found on the beach possesses strangely organic characteristics following the mono-printing process.'
