John McSweeney Greater London, United Kingdom

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I am a painter of modern life. My work has largely been based on observations of my environment. However, recently I have been creating works of the imagination. These later paintings and digital prints touch upon interpersonal relationships and humanity’s connections to the environment.

I am a painter of modern life. My work has largely been based on observations of my environment. However, recently I have been creating works of the imagination. These later paintings and digital prints touch upon interpersonal relationships and humanity’s connections to the environment. I work in two mediums, oil paint and digital, or as I prefer to call it pixel-paintings. I synthesize a variety of styles, making use of allegory, symbolism, and narrative. I draw on centuries of artistic tradition from pre-Renaissance to computer-aided art, extending to the use of AI. The latter is a thorny issue and visual art is not exempt from those criticising its use. However, I believe it is a useful tool. In the past, my working practice has focused on using my photographs to develop images until I arrive at a starting point for a painting. Unfortunately, mobility issues have largely put paid to this. AI has offered an alternative, allowing me to imagine scenarios and produce images. Parts of these images are manipulated and redrawn in Photoshop until I arrive at something that provides a starting point for either a painting or a digital. Things will change as I progress. Each print is unique and there are no editions. I look to create powerful images that resonate with viewers, posing questions, and drawing the viewer in, hoping to generate a conversation. At the root of my practice is a wish to engage with this question: Can visual art provoke a constructive discourse about the modern world? My ambition is to show that it can.