Belinda Fair - Galway

Irish artist Belinda Fair, Galway

Belinda Fair is a music teacher, based in Clarinbridge, near Galway City, on Irelands Western Coast. She began painting in 1999 with a local art school 'The Paint-Box'. Belinda has just completed a BA in Art and Design in GMIT Galway.

'My Art is inspired by the world around me. An idea can be triggered by a view, a poem, a story, a movie, a piece of music, a photograph, a colour, a scent, a comment, a feeling... I love painting outdoors, particularly on warm sunny days, but have even painted in sub zero temperatures in the dark as an experiment. It makes me free up completely, so I have drifted away from doing realist paintings, to a much more expressive painterly style. I try to capture the essence of an idea without painting in every detail.

My preference of medium is oil paint. It is very forgiving, and the colours stay rich and vibrant. I am influenced by a wide range of artists and my favourites change on a daily basis, from the Old Masters to my contemporaries to the beautiful innocence of a child's work. I love using the palette knife and large brushes, and find I have freed up completely since I started to do larger pieces. I often just start a painting with no idea where I am going, but a colour or shape can evoke an idea, and something unique evolves. I like to work more quickly now, as its stops me fussing about the finer details. I have no master plan to change the world with my art, but if brings a little joy to a few I am content. I just love to paint. For me, it is more about the journey than the destination. I have no particular subject matter that I stick to. I go through phases...sometimes landscape, figurative, abstract...'

Belinda's work has sold Worlwide, she is available for commissions. [email protected]