Joe Dunne

 		 
  Landscape painting is an abiding genre for painters working in Ireland and this may reflect a deep historical familiarity with the land. However, increasingly for many, suburban homes are the norm. I have always lived in such a setting but in the past had more often headed for the hills and painted ‘natural’ or traditional landscape paintings. Towards the end of the 1990’s I began to observe more closely my immediate environment and found an ever-changing source of visual stimulation in what might otherwise be regarded as plain surroundings. The suburban landscapes that emerged were semi-abstract or almost abstract in style and often architectural in feeling. These were first exhibited in a show entitled ‘Scáileanna Gréine’ (Shadows or Reflections of the Sun) at the RHA Ashford Gallery in 2001.

While these images refer to my various surroundings and will often reflect a season or a particular time of day, the main concern in the end is that they work as compositions. I am often conscious of the analogy between this kind of painting and music (a favourite pursuit) both containing rhythm, tone, form, space and colour. It brings to mind Paul Klee’s desire to be able to improvise freely on the keyboard of colours using the row of watercolours in his paintbox.

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