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Exhibition 'ECHO'

In many ways you have to look at John O'Carroll as a nomad to understand how he works.

Collecting impressions and subsequently working with these he spends part of the year working in his native Cornwall , and in his studio in Amsterdam, and about four months as an archaeological illustrator in Egypt, where he also paints and sculpts.

Each location brings with it its own spirit and sense of colour.

In the series 'ECHO', work comes together specifically from Egypt and Cornwall, a meeting of two worlds.

John works with a variety of material, often with old wooden beams and planks, either from the wind blown sands of the Sahara or the rough shores of the ocean, creating a new identity based in its own history.

The methods he uses to paint are of the ancient world , where hours of preparation and alchemy play an important role in producing subtle and beautiful colours and textures. Natural pigments which he finds and grinds himself, are mixed with natural resins, waxes and organic compounds, which result in images of depth, translucence and vitality.

In the desert he lives with its inhabitants, trekking occasionally through the terrain, observing how their lives and architecture have adapted to the environment. Subsequently his work has taken on some of their attributes of simplicity and form , echoing the vast expanses of space and timelessness , in some respects becoming icons, reflecting spirit of place and spirit of nature.

In Cornwall, surrounded by huge ocean vistas, and a rugged coastal landscape dotted with remnants of a megalithic past, he works with sea thrown timbers and panels from various sources. Working into them a wax medium, impregnated with indigos, cobalts and lapis, he slowly builds up layers of richness and depth , sometimes giving the impression of looking into a deep ocean pool. Other work free standing sculptures , remind us of ancient menhirs , sunk into the ground, echoing pre-historic powers.

Whatever the material used John O'Carroll manages to create personalities in his work, confident in their own space in which nature spirit and time become visible.

Saskia Monshower

The Gate Foundation