Iain Faulkner was
born in Glasgow in 1973 where he was raised and educated. He graduated
from Glasgow School of Art in 1996 with a BA (Honours) Degree in Fine
Art. From the onset of his professional career, the fashionable and
trendy routes of contemporary and conceptual art, adopted by many of his
peers, was not an option. He chose instead to follow the more difficult
and demanding path of figurative painting wherein clear, concise
yardsticks of competence, draughtsmanship and painterly skills can be
measured and judged, warts and all.
At the age of twenty-nine, the
result of his endeavours during his relatively short career has brought
a considerable measure of success with his last four shows in London and
New York selling out which is clearly indicative of the public's
appreciation and interest in his work.
Faulkner's paintings are
concerned with the portrayal of strong and powerful images relying on
visual impact as there is rarely any narrative. They are about capturing
calm and contemplative moments, intimate exchanges, solitude, sometimes
melancholy, heightened in their resonance by the use of chiaroscuro.
Faulkner's use of this technique gives a stark contrast between the
light source and the often dark tonality found in his paintings. There
is a stillness in the everyday themes which conveys a sense of
inner-reflection. This is accentuated by the formality of his young
self-engrossed characters and emphasised by the light and shadows
reinforcing their emotional detachment.
His charcoal drawings, included
for the first time in a Faulkner show, are testament to his
draughtsmanship; his awareness and acknowledgement of the prime
importance of drawing and control of tone and to the peeling back of
layers of paint thus revealing an insight into his creative process.
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Iain Faulkner
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