At Origin Gallery, 14th May – 8th June 2015

ARTIST STATEMENT
The role of drawing is fundamental to my work. Whether it is drawings of crows or hares, these are sometimes prefaces to paintings, and sometimes a relaxation from them. They are works in their own right.
They are witnesses to the changes in the landscape of Teeromoyle in South West Kerry – my mother’s place.

My mother died quite young but I was reared on her stories about her childhood in the mountains, so family and a sense of place haunts my work. My mother’s past is my past. Her parent’s house is long gone but the field where the house was remains unchanged and I have painted this field and in this field many times.
Painting the field sometimes makes me feel snug, warm and sheltered and other times exposed, vulnerable and turbulent. I remove layers of earth while adding layers of paint.

This is my subject matter, not the meaning of my paintings.

Margo Banks