Nicola Galloway

My paintings contain a hidden narrative usually involving an array of contemplative characters staged against an anonymous abstracted landscape.

Figures appear to be frozen in the moment lost in their own thoughts and seemingly preoccupied with an event or situation that appears to be unfolding just out of sight from the viewer.

Despite being arranged within a group setting, figures stand individual from each other, isolated in a sort of static limbo.

I aim to create an air of mystery within each piece to suggest to the viewer that they have interrupted a specific moment or event in the characters journey. That something important has happened or is just about to happen.

My working method is very instinctive and primarily concerned with the process of building a painting through a series of textured layers using shellac knotting, emulsion paints and oil paints.

Throughout these layers characters will both appear and disappear until the painting slowly evolves before I decide upon the final narrative. I enjoy this process as it gives me the freedom to tell a story (or to disguise one).

Recently I have started to experiment with painting collage mock ups of ideas rather than attaching these directly onto the canvas. Mood, colour and texture are integral to each piece, but I hope that the viewer looks beneath the surface detail to make their own interpretation or conclusions about the work.