Stephen Loughman’s Work – by Eavan Gaffney

Never thought I’d say this, but it was the wood that really caught my attention. Confused? Don’t be! Just head on over to 11 Patrick Street and all will be made clear through the stunning paintings of Stephen Loughman! (Or just read on and I’ll tell you all about it).

Now we’ve been seeing a lot of abstract art recently, here at the Kilkenny Arts Festival and beyond. So how lovely is it to look at a painting and actually have some idea of, physically, what it is? Don’t get me wrong, I do love a bit of abstract myself, and I also would never for a minute suggest that Stephen Loughman’s paintings are any less complicated, representational and resonant than works of a more (dare I use this word again?) abstract nature. BUT, to tell the truth, I wasn’t all that interested in deciphering the work’s hidden meanings and emotional symbols. Why? Because I was far too busy marvelling at the sheer skill of this painter.

How he paints wood! Forgive me for sounding like a teenage girl (!) but, wow! One painting, for example, depicts a white glove you’d almost have put on before you’d have realised it was a painting and not real! (Slight exaggeration there, but it is pretty impressive!) And of course, my favourite one called 8:55, straight white walls have never looked so good! The four paintings in Kilkenny for the festival are from Loughman’s new series The Fisherman’s Widow, and are based on the notion of artwork as witness to a crime and all four images have been sourced as stills from films.

You can look deeper if you wish, and ask questions of theme and relevance, but for me it was enough to gaze in awe at this man’s ability to create realism on a canvas. Maybe I’m right, maybe I’m wrong, maybe neither, maybe both. Check it out for yourself at 11 Patrick Street between the hours of 10am and 7pm. If you fancy it while you’re there, have a look at the work from Eithne Jordan, William McKeown, Michael Coleman and Fergus Martin too!