Artospective: Paintings by Brian Smyth from Florence.

The Scream

An Interview with Brian Smyth.

Who, and where are you from?

I was born in and grew up in Cork City, Ireland. Art was always my passion and after finishing school I studied in the Crawford College of Art and Design where I graduated in 1995.

Between 1995 and 2012, I have had several successful solo exhibitions in Cork City, Dublin, London and Edinburgh and I have participated in and curated many group exhibitions. I have completed many private commissions, including a 14-painting Stations of the Cross for a church restoration project in Co. Cork.

My works are featured in many private and public collections.

In 2012, I decided to come to Florence, to further my learning of painting and drawing, pushing myself to learn the methods of the great artists from the past and to learn to draw and paint from life. I’m now living here painting and teaching art.

How you got into this?

From my earliest memories, I was always drawing. I never imagined myself as being anything other than an artist. I was lucky to have some teachers at school who were very encouraging and parents who supported my decision to study art full time.

What is your’ driving force?

The driving force behind my art is my constant need to express my fascination with the world we inhabit and it’s visual possibilities. I am drawn particularly to explore visually, the human condition, to describe both the individual and the universal qualities in portrait and figurative works.

What kind of work you do and why?

I am a realist painter. My preferred medium is oil on linen. I work mostly from life, be it portrait, still life, or figural paintings. When I paint from life, I love the sense of being able to create memorable images and being able to capture and make permanent, images from a fleeting existence.

I like also to be able to hint at stories and suggest atmosphere in my paintings.