MANDY FARRAR

I paint because I have to. I paint because art and creativity saves and gives expression to life.

In one way or another I have spent all of my life involved in the arts and in creativity. On Millennium eve in Dublin, I watched the River Liffey, become lit up in a spectacular celebration. I watched the river for months on end until I was absorbed into its flow and it’s magic.

My life had been in turmoil and I started to paint again. The river, my painting, and the healing meditation combined, and the surface reflections on the water danced and weaved an intricate picture – my life and all that of Dublin, including the mythical river goddess, Anna Livia, found depth for expression in the painting.

I had always been frightened of using colour in art but the Liffey, especially at night, presented a huge canvas of reflected and glorious colour. I took away the constraints of critical self-judgement and I felt encouraged to play, to enjoy and to be free. I poured all my energy into trying to create the 3D effects of light upon the water, with undefined shapes and shadows, which would stimulate the imagination the longer one looked at them.

In painting, all my senses come to life, and I paint with that child-like awe and enthusiasm, which I believe is at the very core of our creative self, and is in each and every one of us.
The Masters knew it:-Picasso, Klee, Turner, Cezanne, Miro and, for me, the Mexican artist, Rufino Tamayo. They all knew it - and practiced it!

Those who have known the issue of personal recovery will know the importance of the ‘inner child’ and will more easily understand my path. They will also know of the search for personal honesty, truth and spirituality.

I want to show and sell my work. I want to broaden the whole discussion on art and creativity. In terms of art background, training and a political response to the art establishment – place me in the corner with Jack Vettriano! I have no formal art training, choosing instead to go to Bradford University’s School of Peace Studies, where I gained my degree. Combining creativity with politics, using the mediums of photography, writing, art, radio and events promotion, I have preferred to work in environments, often with the marginalized - Travelling People, Refugees, the homeless, the blind, the deaf, and those with low self esteem and broken confidence.

I have published in magazines and newspapers: articles, reviews and interviews and contributed to book publication from content to design, including photography.
The documentary photographs I took as an aid worker in Kosova have been exhibited internationally.

I have had two joint and one solo exhibition of my paintings in Bradford and have contributed work to exhibitions at Dean Clough Contemporary Art Gallery in Halifax.

I have sold a large number of my paintings both to individuals and organizations.

I am currently working in acrylic on canvas and card also using mixed media (plaster, sand, netting, and other sympathetic materials). My exhibition, ‘Anna Livia’s Dreamtime,’ awoke and created my interest in special lighting effects. I am particularly interested in showing work in Galleries and venues which would allow me to experiment with lighting, music and atmosphere. I truly believe that showing my work in its intended setting will create a magical environment, which would both please traditional gallery users and attract new audiences.