GER SWEENEY
born 1959, Co. Mayo, Ireland

Education & Work:
1982 - Diploma in Painting and print, Galway RTC (GMIT)
1983 - BA Honours Degree, NCAD Dublin
1983 - 1985 Lecturer in Fine Arts, Painting and Print, GMIT Galway
1989 - 1996 Artist and Director, Artspace Studios, Galway
2005 - Living and working in Westport Co. Mayo, Ireland

Ger Sweeney's paintings in recent years have focused on developing a synthesis of abstract and figurative referents. His balancing of the formal and compositional with elements of colour and light culminating in his "Terrain" series 05/06. From his smaller object like works to the epic scale pieces his practice is informed by a century of evolution and change in the language of painting. Openly engaging with the viewer and inviting interpretation, his work reflects the more progressive concerns of painting today.

In a comprehensive new body of work "Notes from a silence" the artist expands on earlier themes, broadens his frame of reference and introduces tactile and painterly aspects, heralding a new phase in his ongoing dialogue with the potential and possibilities of art through the medium of painting.