The Relay Painting

Patrick Rowan, born in 1969 in Dublin, Ireland, is a contemporary painter residing in Cheshire, UK. He is renown for his bright, abstract paintings on canvas in oils, acrylics, gouache, and airbrush. His work explores the relationship between form and colour, inspired by aspects of nature and architecture.  Patrick's drawings and his photographs form the basis of his practice; from this raw material, he develops his ideas. His paintings are started with a framework taken from these drawings, and once a strong composition has been established, the process is largely intuitive, allowing the piece to develop on its own terms. Patrick's work is strongly influenced by cubism, colour field painting, and abstract expressionism.  Patrick's intention is to make striking and intriguing paintings that 'don't stand still but change in the eye of the viewer and that possess a sense of having a creative 'life of their own'.  The fascination with painting for Patrick is not knowing the end result but rather the element of discovery and surprise in the making of a painting.