As a career artist, my paintings and sculptures have transitioned over the decades. For me, this continual movement is paramount to the essence of being an artist. The nucleus of my practice is the desire to constantly challenge myself, question my assumptions, and experiment with different approaches to making. I value this above almost all things because I do not want to find myself repeating a style simply for recognition within the art market or the general public. Although recognition can be rewarding, I believe that the purpose of an artistic practice should extend beyond maintaining an established visual identity.
My work has developed through an ongoing process of exploration and sometimes projects can run concurrently.
I see each new body of work as an opportunity to reconsider what I have previously understood, rather than as a continuation of something that has already been resolved. Materials, colour, location, environment and process all become ways of opening up new possibilities. Sometimes this means moving away from a familiar language; at other times it means returning to an earlier idea and approaching it from a completely different perspective. What matters is that I remain open to uncertainty.
I never want to arrive at a point where the viewer simply recognises a style and identifies the artist. For me, this would be a futile ambition. If an artwork becomes too easily predictable, I feel that something essential has been lost. I am more interested in creating work that presents something unfamiliar to me, and perhaps resets my expectations. I want the work to have its own presence rather than functioning only as a signature or confirmation of what has come before. This is why I happily transitioned between traditional, abstract, and surreal painting.
This approach also reflects my understanding of an artist’s career as a continuing journey. Personally an artist must retain a willingness to take risks and to accept that not every experiment will produce a successful result. The unsuccessful attempts are often valuable because they reveal new directions and make it possible to move beyond established habits.
Ultimately, I see my practice as an evolving conversation between myself, the materials I work with, and the world around me. For me, being an artist is not about arriving at a recognisable destination, but about maintaining the courage to keep moving, questioning, and experimenting throughout my life. This freedom keeps me interested in my art and allows new possibilities to emerge without knowing where they lead.
Paul D’Arcy – August 2026
Audio Interview
Below is an audio interview by Maurice O’Keefe of Irish Folk & Lore with Paul in June 2012. Commissioned by Fingal County Council ; they discuss all aspects of the artist’s life.
To Listen CLICK on the interview below
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An introduction to the ‘Celestial Puddle’ collection.
“This is a selection of work that deals with the momentus scale of our universe reflected in the beauty of the smallest things. The paintings deal with the cycle or flow of life. I have used a number of symbols within this work ; the water lily , orchid , eggs and children all swirling within space and in that implied time.
Like most artists I draw from my own life and experience when looking for material to use within my art.
As an artist and person I am an explorer. I get endless pleasure from dealing with the complications of painting. My work must have a visual beauty to attract and continually interest me. When working on a canvas I’m interested in colour, line, space and shape. All these elements combine to create a rhythm to the finished work.
Canvases in general consist of surreal settings. The concept behind these works is to reflect visual thoughts or ideas.
Water
As most people can see when viewing my work – one is never too sure if they are in water , space , underwater , above water or on solid ground ….. this is done to create a magical world within the paintings where nothing is as it seems………
water in itself is a very important symbol to me……………. because it is the giver of all life.
Paul D’Arcy