Ed McGarry
The only way I can approach painting is to see it as an open ended experiment in which spontaneity, chance and luck play an important part. There is a constant tension between trying to pin down an image precisely and the urge to disrupt it in some way.
Most of the images in this show are derived from photographs taken from a popular children's T.V. programme, which I felt drawn to as a subject. Familiar faces trapped behind the screen, remote and sad. The photographs already had a painterly feel and working from them felt a little like directing i.e. emphasising certain elements and toning down others. The objective being to reach a point where the paintings stand as unique entities.
Biography
1963 Born In London
Exhibitions
2005 Toni Heath Gallery, London
1992/1993 Royal Academy Premiums, The Royal Academy
1994 "Outpost" The Edinburgh Festival
1994 Open Studios (In conjunction with The Whitechapel Open) Larnaca Works, Bermondsey
1995 N.E.A.C. The Mall Galleries, London
1996 Works On Paper, Lopez - Chahoud Space, SoHo, New York
Awards
1993 The Jack Smith Prize
1993 The Windsor and Newton Award
Education
1983 - 1984 Chelsea School of Art (Foundation Course)
1987 - 1990 Byam Shaw School of Art (Diploma Course)
1990 - 1993 Royal Academy Schools (M.A.)