I create my stencils by distilling a photograph into distinct contrasting tones, digitally hand tracing the constituent shapes over various colour layers, then laser cutting those layers into stencils to be spray painted. The drawing process takes months, the painting is over in an hour.
I find that aerosol stencilling captures the feeling of light, air and atmosphere effectively, perhaps given the literal lightness of the paint suspension borne to the paper via air.
My artwork “Dingle” presents the rugged atmosphere of a seaside cliff scene in the town of Dingle, Ireland. My memory of the sight includes salt spray, the cry of gulls, and dense coastal air pushing up the cliff face on a bright but cold day. It is the feeling of the atmosphere in that moment I aim to capture in this work.
This artwork is part of a series I’m working on presenting landscapes and their associated animal. The companion piece to this work (not submitted) depicts a cloud of Gannets at wing.