Iain Faulkner was born in
Glasgow in 1973 where he was raised and educated. He graduated from Glasgow
School of Art in 1996 with a BA (Honours) Degree in Fine Art. From the onset of
his professional career, the fashionable and trendy routes of contemporary and
conceptual art, adopted by many of his peers, was not an option. He chose
instead to follow the more difficult and demanding path of figurative painting
wherein clear, concise yardsticks of competence, draughtsmanship and painterly
skills can be measured and judged, warts and all.
At the age of twenty-nine,
the result of his endeavours during his relatively short career has brought a
considerable measure of success with his last four shows in London and New York
selling out which is clearly indicative of the public's appreciation and
interest in his work.
Faulkner's paintings are
concerned with the portrayal of strong and powerful images relying on visual
impact as there is rarely any narrative. They are about capturing calm and
contemplative moments, intimate exchanges, solitude, sometimes melancholy,
heightened in their resonance by the use of chiaroscuro.
Faulkner's use of this
technique gives a stark contrast between the light source and the often dark
tonality found in his paintings. There is a stillness in the everyday themes
which conveys a sense of inner-reflection. This is accentuated by the formality
of his young self-engrossed characters and emphasised by the light and shadows
reinforcing their emotional detachment. His charcoal drawings, included for the
first time in a Faulkner show, are testament to his draughtsmanship; his
awareness and acknowledgement of the prime importance of drawing and control of
tone and to the peeling back of layers of paint thus revealing an insight into
his creative process.
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