I have a dream of creating my own set of standing stones. An ambitious dream that I will make a reality.
As an artist I am deeply inspired by the art of the ancient past and my painting practice seeks to reimagine ancient universal philosophical in a contemporary context. Paying homage to the past with modern expression.
I have a unique creative process that I developed in art school, I use a laser cutter to cut digitally created composition into wood, leaving me with individual geometric shapes that I abstractly paint before putting them back together. I have continued to develop this process while exploring new concepts since I graduated from my MFA in 2021.
Currently I am looking to expand my artistic practice into public sculpture to begin me on my path towards creating my own set of standing stones. My unique creative process can be adapted to create large scale rectangular pillars adorned with geometric shapes and vibrant expressive painting. There are many direction the development of these sculpture will take, such as being internally light to glow at night and utilising negative space to create depth through layered geometric patterns.
If granted the generous Dover Prize, I will use the money for the development of my public sculptures resulting in the public installation of several sculptures. Bringing beauty and the wisdom of the past into the public sphere. My art career will be greatly enhanced with the generosity of this fund which will allow me the time, space and resources to develop and implement the next the stage of my artist journey taking me closer to my goal of building my own set of standing stones.
Firstly I will install a large scale public sculpture in Darlington, working closely with the community on the design and location. The design will pay homage to the people and culture of Darlington. The work will be permanent if permission allows and temporary if not.
In addition, I will host an exhibition in Darlington, exhibiting both paintings and sculptures from the project.
The project will be captured in video and turned into a mini documentary.
Through the combination of interconnected geometric shapes and expressive abstract painting, my paintings capture a balance of opposites. The chaos of the abstractly painted surface is harmonised by the precise order of the geometry. Curved and flowing shapes are balanced by sharp edges and straight lines. Embracing my logical mind to construct my geometric compositions, the process of painting the shapes is free and intuitive, allowing the expanses of bold textures and shimmering colours to flow through me. My unique painting process uses a laser cutter to cut my digital compositions into separate wooden shapes. I then expressively paint the pieces before putting them back together. The unification of physical and digital in my creative process reflects the evolving relationship between humanity and technology in our current time in history. Born through personal introspection and seeking balance within myself, my paintings are a method of making the unconscious conscious and giving visual form to the unseen world. Symbolising the oneness of all things, each individual pieces is an essential part of the whole painting, just as we are all unique yet connected by our shared human experience.
MFA Art & Humanities, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design- 2021
BA Contemporary Art Practice, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design- 2020
PGDE Secondary Art Teaching, University of Strathclyde- 2024
Creative Entrepreneurship Post Grad, Robert Gordon University- 2023
Creative Scotland Open Fund- For the development of new work for representing Scotland at the Interceltique festival(2023) and my solo show, The Sky is Dreaming, at Fire Station Creative(2024).
Engage Scotland Grant- To host an art event in rural Scotland, yet to be completed.
Visual Arts & Crafts Makers Award- West Dunbartonshire Council(2023)
William S Phillips Award- A grant for my MFA.
Farquhar Reid Trust Prize & James Guthrie Orchar Award- Awarded by the University of Dundee during my degree show (202)
Freelands Painting Prize- National Painting Prize (2020)
In 2024 I self created an immersive art exhibition titled Step Into Abstraction which can be seen via my video links.
University of Dundee Public Collection.
Studio Residency, Platform Arts, Belfast (2022)
Email: studio@lewisdeeney.co.uk
Address: 21 Park Street Dumbarton, Scotland, UK, Dumbarton, West Dunbartonshire, G82 1RF, GB
Local Authority: West Dunbartonshire
