Fine Art

Holly McCarney

I am a Dublin based artist in my final year of a BA of Fine Art. I have an interest in traditional methods of making such as drawing and painting. The body has been a recurring motif within my work over the last few years and is explored alongside various conceptual concerns. I have an interest in painting conservation and have used this year to improve my knowledge of painting itself as well as the practice of conservation through both my studio practice and my written thesis.

Occasionality

My project is titled “Occasionality”, which consists of 30 paintings of hands and the objects that occupy them. The project explores the limitations of portraiture as a form of knowledge transfer, and how information is simultaneously held and withheld within paintings. This is done by limiting the viewer’s access to the subject’s full identity through only showing the hand and it’s associated object. Portraits are typically conceived of a figure with a face. In removing this, my work aims to explore alternative methods of representation.