About me

The Manx landscape has always enticed me and has been a huge source of inspiration. Our landscape is a privilege and is not easily ignored as it encapsulates a medley of what we find beautiful. Although barely staying above the waves of the Irish sea our rock, with ever changing weather, provides me with enormous amounts of subject material for making art. I strive to capture part of what it feels like to live in such a  place. The island is not always the idyllic sunny postcard we often chose to picture it as, but it is a greatly more complex, diverse and fickle place to be. I find by portraying the Island in this a way through my art work, I am able to relate to my experiences and that of others in a personal and honest fashion.

My practice currently is split between both painting and printmaking. Printmaking is a process that over the past few years has become my preferred way of creating. Working exclusively using monochromatic pallets, the images I produce use variations in tone to emphasise depth and distance. Printmaking involves working on an aluminium plate using ink to create images in a similar way to painting. However, the image on the aluminium plate only acts as a stamp that is then pressed on to paper to reveal the final image.

I have always loved to paint but up until recently it has taken a backseat as I have been developing my practice through printmaking. By exploring technique I have found a way of working that has reinvigorated painting for me. Instead of using canvas to paint on I have begun using aluminium as a surface. I spend a great deal of time using aluminium to create images in printmaking, therefore the choice to carry this over to my painting, seemed very natural to me. Aluminium provides me with freedom to move paint across a surface uninhibited by the undulations that I would encounter on canvas. The natural sheen of aluminium adds a very subtle layer of luminosity and depth to the paintings.

As a member of the FARRAGO Collective, (a group of young artists and visual communicators, all currently studying on the first year of our degree at The Isle of Man College), we recently displayed our work at WOSAT, where we were able to engage and receive feedback from the public. This was a vital learning experience for us all as we prepare for our end of year show at the Market hall in June and as I prepare for my first solo exhibition at Studio 42 in Port st Mary in July.

Written by Daniel Price

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