Bruce Mulcahy RSMA

Statement

For many years Bruce Mulcahy has been inspired by artists who have worked on the spot, from Turner, through the Impressionists and beyond. He prefers to be outdoors in front of the subject, whatever is striking on the day, and try to represent it through colour, shape and mark.

Methodology

Bruce works almost entirely on the spot using any of the opaque paint types - oil, gouache and acrylic - which seem well-suited to outdoor work as they allow the painting to be changed if conditions change and provide a great variety of marks to suggest natural textures and effects. His paintings begin with a very general sketch on the surface to be painted, placing the main shapes of the subject as they need to be and then moving immediately into paint. When painting Bruce tries to think only of colours, their location and relevant marks suggested by the subject rather than of what it is supposed to be - water, rock, sky etc. As the paint is opaque, a single layer of the right colour in the right place can be the only layer necessary - if he is lucky

Bio

1955 Born on 12th November in Dewsbury West Yorkshire

1974-78 BA Hons in Fine Art, University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne

1979-present Full time artist

1994-2004 Ran Mulcahy studio-gallery, Dewsbury

1994-present Demonstrator and workshop tutor to art societies

2002 Elected to Fylingdales Group of Artists, Yorkshire

2004-present Part-time Lecturer in Painting, Kirklees College

2007 Elected to the RSMA