SHANNON DOWDALL
Art Practice 2024
Leanúnachas
Artist Statement
In my final year project I aim to explore the connections between society and nature through the lens of Irish mythology and folklore. My practice revolves around the process of using raw, natural surfaces and pigments in combination with oil paint to capture a primal feeling to the work.
In my work, I explore the juxtaposition of these connections through the symbol of the fern as a way to identify continuums within Irish culture, looking at wholeness and identity which lead into themes that speak to generations, and the handing down of objects and knowledge.
My creative process presents itself in both abstract and representational forms. Some pieces incorporate a combination of pigments and the plant or organic material itself into the surface of the canvas, while others are a manipulation of oil paint to depict the wholeness and mysticism of the subjects on primed canvas.