David Finnigan - Simon Hennessey

Photorealist artists Simon Hennessey and David Finnigan both combine their appreciation of photography and fascination with the precision it captures. With their breath taking skill for the meticulous reproduction of images, they share an appreciation for the medium and both artists clearly distinguish themselves in their technique and approach.

Simon Hennessey says, "Reduplication and the transformation of media is the prime element of my paintings. I concentrate on accurately portraying a photographic source whilst developing it into a painted language". Most of the images that Hennessey paints are close-ups of his subject, often focusing on one feature. By letting the content of the paintings remain cropped and choosing a close focal point, the paintings present a distorted sense of reality whilst remaining true to the photo reality of its origin. The painting 'Kate Inverted' highlights how Hennessey merges the two mediums. The same questions still remain, but he takes it one step further by blurring the boundaries of photography and painting. From a negative to an image, from a brushstroke to a painted image, the play upon the intricacies of each medium leaves the viewer with one simple question: Which one is it?

David Finnigan takes a more traditional and 'painterly' view towards the creation of his paintings. Using the cameras captured moment as a starting point, the resulting compositions are laced with a melancholic feel and reflective colours. Like Hennessey, Finnigan will at times increase the scale of his subject by limiting the context of the image. There is also subtle interpretation involved, moving the painting away from the static image towards a view which gives a slight hint of the prelude and the aftermath. 'I am a painter who uses photography as a tool. My approach is to find vignettes of the world in which we live and try to reflect back an interpretation of what I have seen. Observation is key and when I see a promising composition, it can involve the use of many different photographs of the same scene and can include some aspects from memories and the imagination if needed. Colour is very important to me and forms an integral part of the painting. I like to employ a small set of colours which I know intimately and with this palette I am able to produce a range of harmonic and natural hues which form a crucial aspect of the organic feel of my work'

David Finnigan lives and works in North Yorkshire. Simon Hennessy lives and works in Birmingham, UK.