Gerry Halpin
My paintings are a response to and an interpretation of observations I make of the effects of deterioration in architecture. Cracks and blemishes, the flaking of paintwork, erosion and discolouration by natural forces are my starting points. From drawings and colour notes made of those aspects of man-made structures, I return to the studio to begin my journey of exploration. Using marble dust and acrylic polymer on heavy paper or canvas, I start to form the shapes and create the surface textures which have been intuitively processed from those earlier drawings. The physical act of applying plaster, of twisting and swirling with the knife is an exciting part of the painting and my control in no way excludes the random contribution made by the plaster itself. After drying, oil or acrylic paint is applied with the final addition of gold or silver leaf. These ‘FRAGMENT' paintings record the beauty of an aspect of the inevitable deconstruction of structures and each one is as unique as is every crack and blemish from where they originated."