Gonna be on the North side of the Green Sat n Sun. Feel free to drop by say hi. Met loads of different heads today.

Really enjoying the responsiveness of the outdoor lighting. Again lots of Interest from strong personalities. Video on the way, loads of reflections, bi go maith.

That was a wonderful weekend.

Exhibiting these 3 pieces at Peoples Art on Saint Stephen’s Green Dublin this weekend. A little sneak preview ahead of next months Exhibition. It’s gonna be fun and if da rain is falling well it only float to da Sea.

All the Rust Paintings are to be exhibited for the 1st time this summer in Dublin. An amazing location has been secured and promises to be a show stopper. In due course more info to follow a little hush hush at present. Discounts available if interested in buying pre-show.

When did you become fascinated with rust?
Early childhood I would think, rust has always fascinated me because it
has a wonderful psychological effect on my state of being.

Had you ever seen rust painting before working on it yourself?
No, not to this degree. I started researching rust painting back in
2003. I knew and found many artists who would rust objects or use found
rusted objects in their art and many artists who were involved in
provoking chemical reactions, the obvious being Polke Kiefer and of course
we have the dramatic Warhol piss paintings.

What sort of chemicals do you use?
These Rust paintings are made from sheets of mild steel that vary from 2 to 3 mm in Thickness. They were made by using Organic Acids(household vinegar,lemons,salt) rainwater, varnishes and epoxy Resin.

Do you use nasty acids?
I stay clear of Nasty Acids for the very same reason that I didn’t
use angle grinders; mainly because they are so unforgiving. I am more
interested in building up subtle detail gradually, in the future for sure
the angle grinder but Nasty Acids never. If you start playing with acid
you must consider the consequences. For me household vinegar works perfectly.

How do you get such contrast and variety of Colour?
A lot of that comes down to the length of time I rust my paintings. With seasons and time different effects are possible. Temperature also has a lot to do with it and the fact that I work back into the mild steel rust mix a lot.

How do you seal your rust paintings?
When I can I let them cure naturally but sometimes I employ the use of an electric heat gun to drive out the moisture. I seal the paintings with various varnishes and epoxy resin. This stage of the process is very unforgiving and only from experience am I able to gauge how the finished article will look when trapped in sealant. It’s in my nature to seal them up as best I can so the changes are more gradual.

How Long will they last?
Longer than Pollock’s Drip Paintings for sure and his weren’t designed to change, these are.

How do you decide when a rust painting is finished?
Many times I have thought of a rusting to be finished only to find myself re-opening it a few months later usually due to me discovering a new technique but eventually I reach a stage with each rust painting where I no longer have a desire to do anything more to it, it then goes into a ‘potentially finished’ pile, once all the rust works are in the ‘potentially finished’ pile, I stop working.