Thomas Painting

ABOUT THE ARTIST Martin Gallagher was born in Scotland in 1960 to Irish parents. In 1963, the family moved to Donegal, and in 1972, they relocated to Manchester, where Martin remained until he was 20. He later returned to Ireland, where the beauty of the landscape captivated him. As an artist, Martin was a child prodigy and has been painting ever since. Initially, Martin's first love was watercolour, and he worked in this medium for over ten years. Eventually, he moved to oil and acrylic, finding in these media a fresh challenge and a chance to work on larger pieces. His work has an abstract quality, often providing a hint of sky, buildings, or other material content, without ever getting too specific. The finished works are projections of the imagination, mostly systematic arrangements of space, and more importantly, color. Martin's brush is directed only by a desire to transcend all painting formulae and to express something unique about his present visions and feelings. "This is the great adventure of creativity, where you bring all those deep gut feelings to the canvas. The color and overall balance of the finished image are vital. Working mostly with wide brushes, I feel the brush is a natural extension of the arm, finding the edge of the palette knife too unyielding, too insensitive, perhaps. When it comes to assessing a finished painting, I'm my own severest critic. You can always see where a painting is lacking and failing to meet its ultimate potential." - Martin Gallagher. Life experience has heavily influenced the work of this artist. He has lived and worked in many different parts of the world and never tires of traveling. He spends his time now between Ireland and Sweden. "Comments by Aidan Dunne, Art Critic for The Irish Times newspaper, on the Pembroke Gallery exhibition in Dublin, Ireland. Martin Gallagher is another restlessly instinctive painter who uses the medium to get at the essence of things beyond their initial appearances. He views things in a heightened, vivid way, using simplified forms and intense colors, with a rich, enveloping light. Martin is a member of Visual Artists Ireland.