Beneath the Surface by Padraig Parle

“Beneath The Surface” is Padraig Parle’s first solo exhibition at SO Fine Art Editions.

Padraig Parle’s new body of work spans the past four years encompassing life before and after the pandemic. He is an abstract painter working primarily in oil. His combination of three visual elements – colour, texture and composition, coexist in harmony to create a visual chord that is pleasing to the senses.

For Parle, abstraction is a language that is completely universal and accessible to all. It does not depend on any prior knowledge and can have the same meaning to a viewer regardless of their history or origin. Describing how he works, Parle states “all of my paintings begin with a drawing. Then the struggle commences as I strive to resolve its challenges that the painting presents. By excavating the paintings’ surface, layers are applied and scraped away searching for some alchemy to occur, some magic to happen. I strive for the colours and shapes to coexist and achieve peace and balance”.

Parle includes elements clearly visible in nature, transforming them into an abstract structure with pigment and texture that links to the viewers memory and sense of place. The work juxtaposes between the unknown and recognisable and creates an emotional connection with the viewer by being abstract and mysterious while also familiar and relatable.

Padraig Parle is a visual artist based in Wexford. He studied Fine Art at DIT, Dublin, graduating in 2001. He later went on to obtain a MFA from IADT, Dublin in 2011. His work is held in many private and public collections.