Carol Graham RUA
My early work is highly realistic with a slight surreal edge. I have always been fascinated with things hidden or half revealed. This is perhaps best epitomized by Light Falls Within (Ulster Museum collection). Everything within the frame is meticulously detailed but much is left unseen and the identity is not shared. This series was followed by many portrait commissions including James Galway, President Mary Robinson among many others. As a relief to the demands of portrait painting I worked on small still life, often using silks and velvets. In the early nighties I was affected by a significant period of depression which forced me to work spontaneously and directly from my inner voice.At first this was purely for myself, but I soon realised that the works spoke strongly to others, which led to a large exhibition of metaphorical journey images called Into the Darkness (Belfast and Dublin). During this period I hill walked alone in the Mourne mountains, mostly in the winters, I was blown away by the rapidly changing drama I saw,and began to try to reflect this and the spirituality I experienced in words and images. This led to a landscape exhibition with Tom Caldwell gallery in Belfast. Over time I have noticed themes returning in evolving cycles, the female figure, primal landscape, the horse and the elements, particularly water, with its often inviting surface and mysterious hidden depths. A relatively recent series shows pale stone steps descending into inviting deep green/blue seas. Another series shows elegant evening dresses( in window displays) where the reflected skies partially obscure the enigmatically empty figure and add another dimension. Very recently I have returned to the striped skirt (Light Falls) series which I want to expand and explore beyond the original realist frame…