Tony McGrath

The works of art by artist Tony McGrath move between Heavy Montage and Trompe-l'Oeil ("Deceives the Eye") where things are not what they seem. All pieces, metal, rusting steel, bricks, chains, shores, etc. are constructed entirely by the artist from card, sculptor's clay, cuppa board and acrylic thus giving the aesthetic illusion of real objects and so giving the artist full rein in the creation of anything, limited only by the mind.

Tony is not interested in making broad sweeping statements in his work, rather he creates for the sheer joy of it, often spending up to thirteen hours a day painting. He has a great love of old Ireland and he finds that the beauty in ageing iron, wood and tin etc. provide a challenge he can respond to in recreating the effects of wear and tear on stone and metal in textured montages which depict and capture the spirit of an era fast disappearing.

These are paintings of energy and conviction which intrigue the viewer, drawing one in to an atmosphere of old Ireland as experienced by the artist in boyhood, through the use of a myriad of textures and materials.

30"x20" (approx) mixed acrylic and hand cast gold leaf.

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