Graham Shepherd presents ‘Brief Encounters’

AN EXHIBITION of beautiful old photographs, drawings and paintings by Graham Shepherd is under way at Signal Arts Centre in Bray.

The show opened last week and will be on until this Sunday, April 15.

An opening reception took place last Friday evening at the gallery on Albert Avenue.

‘Making pictures has always been a central part of my activities – whether moving or static, paintings or photographs, drawings or collage,’ said Graham. ‘After art school, I started out as an art teacher. I then moved into TV graphic design working in RTE where I made animated title sequences at a time without computers, hence a difficult, but rewarding activity.

‘ Then followed a ten-year stint working for the BBC in London. There I encountered the beginning of electronic graphics, ending my tenure there as Head of News and Current Affairs graphics, where it was my privilege to select and train some brilliant designers.

‘Returning to Ireland, I free-lanced as a lecturer in most of the art colleges in Ireland, but the bulk of my activity was developing modules for persons with a disability – hence the creation of a Horizon Project called Art Access which had a wide reach in the realm of special needs. This project reached several thousand people.

‘After this period, I travelled and did some writing. But now at this point I am painting again and resurrecting some older work, as well as re-appraising what kind of photography to engage with while also making some collages. I see these activities in the same frame as bird watching or flying kites, so the process remains within the context of other things.

‘Some images may be abrupt but the overall aim is to generate a sense of tranquillity and visual pleasure. The show is titled ‘Brief Encounters’ because it is the essence of what happens to people who go to Art Exhibitions and encounter multiple images in condensed time and space, unless of course, they buy a work of art to enjoy at home.’