Simon Callery
The work Simon Callery makes is determinedly positive.
As the above video clip shows Callery is both direct and sincere; important qualities he shares with his work. Bold, substantial structures that imply industry in both senses of the word: Callery’s paintings are the result of a clear vision executed to perfection. They are physical without being muscular; imposing but not overbearing and they demonstrate a dogged engagement with painting that is rare in its thoroughness.
It's good stuff.
Aidan Doherty
Studied and undiluted.
This little maroon painting (above) made a great impression on me when I saw it at the Jerwood Space in 2009. It just looked so much better than anything else around it.
Aidan Doherty makes small, complex paintings that unfold as you look at them. They are rich, focused, and devoid of anything superfluous. They are paintings which concentrate on painting and its possibilities. Painting is defined by materials and process, these are its essence and so it follows that these are its strengths. Doherty’s works are unencumbered by distracting demands and this fact, combined with his skill and inventiveness, make them very complete and successful paintings.
David Aylsworth
Hard edge painting without the hard edges.
I was tempted to say ‘simple, but effective’ but that would be doing these paintings a disservice. They are not simple; they are good. The off-white background makes them. In fact the entire compliment of colours Aylsworth uses are on the button, they look analogue (as opposed to CMYK) and that is, in my opinion, a very good thing.
Tomma Abts
Quality.
Tomma Abts makes work with a purity of intent that is admirable.
The care and single-mindedness of her investigation give it strength. The possibility of extreme specificity is one of painting’s great abilities; one that is underused. The thinner you spread yourself the less likely you will do any one thing well. Abt’s precision and concentration make her paintings special, her works make no unnecessary claims and have few compromises. They look great and their modest scale and method of production are enormously pleasing.
Paul Doran
Paul Doran’s paintings have an awkward allure. They seem at once rigorous and uncomfortable. Looking at them brings to mind early 20th century Paris, garrets, and a grubby struggle for authenticity. Their purposeful physicality is complemented by a palette, with its creams and pinks, which evokes Giotto. It is an interesting mix.
The space created in these works is also reminiscent of early renaissance painting. Framing elements have something of the stage set about them and slightly off-kilter forms sit at odd angles to one another.
It is clear that Doran’s pictures are concerned with both the act and history of painting.
Robert Holyhead
Robert Holyhead’s paintings are economical without ever appearing detached. He gives us just enough and no more. The approach is exacting with trial and error not evident within individual pieces.
Negative space seems to be a consistent (and dominant) feature of his works; gaps and forms appear interchangeable, with what is not there being as important as what is.
In spite of the slightness of the supports (these are not bulky paintings) and a lightness of touch, there is a definite weight to Holyhead’s paintings: their surfaces, which clearly record process, combine with bold cropping to give a real sense of ‘object-ness’. When they work (which they do more often than not) the paintings are well balanced and have a purity of form that resonates.
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