36 Artists&Illustrators
TheIrishfigurative painterrevealedhowalife-threateningaccident
ledtoacareerchangeandanartisticresidencyattheSingapore
BotanicGarden.Interview: RACHAELFUNNELL10 MINUTES WITH...Gerard Byrne
What brought you to the Singapore Botanic Garden?
Last year I was celebrating 30 years of painting en plein air
at the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland with a show of
more than 50 paintings, Inside, Outside & Beyond.
The newly-appointed Irish Ambassador to Singapore,
Pat Bourne, happened to visit the show and took a liking to
the painting Springtime in Glasnevin, which he took to his
residence in Singapore. This piece was the starting point
of my engagement with the Singapore Botanic Gardens,
as the current director, Dr Nigel Taylor, saw it and offered
me a one-month artist residency at the gardens.
What will the exhibition entail?
Botanical Fusion launches during the first three weeks of
my residency. On show will be 17 artworks, including 14 oil
paintings and three charcoal sketches. On completion of
my residency, I’ll be relocating to Singapore’s Gardens by
the Bay as I’ve been invited by the CEO, Felix Loh, to create
my artistic interpretation of this iconic garden.
Which of the works are you most excited to share?
My latest creations, a series of four large-scale abstract
paintings. They were all painted outdoors, under the heat of
the midday sun and very high humidity. Three of them are
depicting Heliconia plant, while the largest piece, Green is
the New Black, features leaves of the Monstera deliciosa
[the Swiss cheese plant]. I am really pleased with these.
How did you get started?
I first wanted to be an artist at the age of seven, when I
discovered a number of pencil portraits in my grandmother’s
toy chest. I couldn’t believe somebody could possibly have
made these by hand and I wanted to do the same. Coming
from a working-class family, this seemed out of my reach
so instead I got “a real job” and trained as an electrician.
One day while on a job I received a life-threatening electric
shock and that was it. I decided I wanted to follow my dream,
so I quit. At that stage, my dream was to have one solo show.
I felt if I could achieve this goal then I could die in peace.
How did that first show come about?
I took up the brushes for the very first time at the age of
- I was shy at first, but a friend encouraged me to show
the paintings in public and, as it happened, there was an
art festival in Dublin that weekend. I exhibited my work at
the festival and half a year later, I launched my very first
solo exhibition. This year I’ll be celebrating 30 years since
that show, with some 30 solo exhibitions under my belt.
It’s safe to say I achieved my dream.How would you describe your work?
In general, I can divide my artworks into two seasonal
categories. In my “summer” works I paint mostly plein
air landscapes, seascapes and cityscapes, in both oil or
charcoal on canvas. In my “winter” works, I concentrate
on figurative and still life subjects. Recently, I also started
creating large-scale industrial and floral paintings, both
verging on abstract. I don’t really have a preference
between the two categories. The variation keeps me
interested and challenges me as an artist.Have you submitted work to any art competitions?
The first time I participated in an art competition was when
I moved to London. It was [plein air painting competition]
Pintar Rapido in 2016. I was very surprised and thrilled to
come second. The following year I was selected for Sky Arts
Landscape Artist of the Year. It was a very challenging
experience, being surrounded by cameras. The direction
they gave me wasn’t a view I would personally have chosen,
but I tried my best. It was a great adventure even though
I didn’t make it to the next heat.Aside from Singapore, you’ve painted in France, Croatia,
Poland and Morocco. What inspired these artistic travels?
No matter what the subject, I’m very interested in the
play of light and shadow. I search for warm light and new
landscapes with different colour palettes, different period
architecture. My painting trips get me out of my comfort
zone and push me to capture new scenes.
I particularly enjoyed my summer 2015 painting trip to
France. After leaving behind rainy Dublin and travelling
around Provence, I followed the footsteps of the great
masters, Cézanne and Van Gogh. I thoroughly enjoyed the
quality of Provençal light. It made for warm colours and
strong shadows, and it was a perfect setting for me.Is your practice quite mobile then?
I have a studio in Dublin but when the weather is good,
I prefer to work outdoors. I’m not as mobile as I would
like to be as I paint on a large scale and this brings its
restrictions. Also, travelling abroad with oil paints and
mediums has become more difficult over the years.
Botanical Fusion runs until 10 November at Singapore Botanic
Gardens, Singapore. http://www.gerardbyrneartist.com © LEON FARRELL