William Grace

The rural and domestic landscape are treated by William Grace with a sensitivity to light through a vibrant, rich and colourful pallette. They exude a calm that lies beneath the busy surface. In his paintings William, through his quiet observations, captures the beauty of unconnected moments.... a child sleeping peacefully, water lapping gently against the side of the boat, an empty forest path and the timeless flow of a river to mention but a few. All of these images are woven into the fabric of the artist's life.

William Grace's work is a contemporary view of familiar surroundings, his fine art paintings are executed with a skill that reflects in part his love of graphic design. Under the influence of his artistic neighbour, Tony O'Malley, Grace scores the surface to define the roadmap for the paint. For William it is the skillful application of paint, layer on layer, that excites him. The scoring of the surface and application of paint thereon is part of what makes his work so active, wrestling with both paint and board he creates work that both challenges and fascinates the viewer.

Grace is concerned with making his paintings work on several different levels. An apparently realistic depiction reveals on closer inspection a highly complex composition, add to this the execution of the painting and you'll find that William is a master of his craft. William Grace creates abstracted compositions that, when viewed from a distance, harmonise into a cohesive unit, instantly recognisable. 

William grace is held in high regard since his first solo exhibition at Kilkenny Arts Week in 1991. His work is highly collected internationally and exhibited throughout Ireland including the RUA.