Gerard Tunney

Artist Statement:

When I graduated, I worked in the theatre for several years (before going into teaching). I worked nights and this enabled me to paint during the day.

A lot of my work is influenced by experiences of living along the North East coast so the imagery focuses on seascapes, yachts, marinas etc. and the sea is central to my work's development. There is a strong maritime tradition in Sunderland which of course is most famous for its shipbuilding industry. Sunderland was also the host of the tall ships race and this activity is also reflected in the various races and sailing clubs along the coast. I am also a frequent visitor to other sailing locations, particularly on the South coast which this has been a strong influence on my paintings.

I am fascinated by the combination of light and movement and also the various rhythms and counter-rhythms of the sea, and these contrasts are what drive my paintings towards their final resolution.

My work is also influenced by experiences of sport so the imagery focuses on motor racing/horse racing. I am interested as a painter in the movement in sport and the abstract possibilities that these subjects suggest. I am also interested in reflections and this is a pictorial device which enables me to create fresh viewpoints within my work.

I studied for my Master's degree at the University of Northumbria but I lived in Cambridgeshire for a number of years. I frequently travel to London and Europe and this has been central to my work's development.

Most of my paintings are acrylic on canvas which combines the spontaneity of watercolour with the sturdiness of oil paint. Acrylic dries fairly quickly so that I can generate an immediacy within the work as it progresses, so the paintings retain the element of freshness that I am always trying to capture. These technical experiences have enabled me to participate in demonstration classes for magazines, books, workshops etc. I have shown widely across the U.K. but mostly across the South and London galleries