Recorded live on site in Amanda Doran's superb studio, Gorey, Ireland.
Energised, inspired, and elevated to sublime levels- it was an honour to be there and learn of her work and outlook.
"My work is currently dealing with themes of discomfort, death and rebirth as a cathartic outlet for me to address the peculiarities and unpredictability’s this past year has brought us.
I am engaging with themes of death, destruction, despair and the macabre side of alternative cultures; such as the tattoo scene and the punk and metal music scene.
The rawness of these dark and somewhat sinister images brings about a type of purity with which a beauty can begin to emerge from. Every aspect of life has an inevitable cycle, some things have to be confronted, battled with and destroyed to be reborn. It is that teetering chaotic edge from death to rebirth that interests me.
The work is painted with exuberance and immediacy, as if almost wanting to exorcize these images. Humour always plays an important part in my work and currently there is evidence of a dark humorous twist in some of the contexts and titles of the paintings. The works are thickly painted with figures that are obscure but also have aesthetically pleasing qualities such as ornate tattooed skin or animals with thickly textured fur or feathers.
Overall it is the playfulness and lack of control the painter can happen upon while making work that engages me the most in my practice. At times I like that to be reflected throughout; with image content, materials used or painting titles."
Text courtesy of artist, Amanda Doran.
Image taken during studio visit.
