Carney

Dennis Carney was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and spent his childhood surrounded by the colourful landscape of the desert. Always fascinated with the beauty in the variety of nature, this kindled Carney's desire to create. Later, his family moved to Texas, where he attended university and obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Advertising Art. Carney credits his greatest influence to the natural world and the creative thinkers that surround him daily. He also looks to a diverse palette of artistic figures in our history for the strengths that have been instrumental in shaping Carney's own unique style. He recognises Frank Stella, Vernon Fisher and Eric Fishel for the narrative qualities of their art – their story telling through both images and words. He admires Frank Lloyd Wright and Federico Fellini for the new and forward ideas they brought to their fields. Carravaggio and Vermeer inspire him with the beautiful light they were able to capture in their paintings. And he greatly admires the work of Peter Voulkos, with whom Carney had the opportunity to study, for his groundbreaking approach to ceramics. The key qualities in all of these artists hold a common thread for Carney; one of palpable creativity and austere evolution in their fields. It is the methodology of discarding and, in turn, reinventing the old to fashion something new and distinctive. These elements of erosion and change are always resident in Carney's work. Whether he is rendering wonderfully worn fragments of Greek or Roman architecture, the quietude of a Tuscan vineyard or an elegant room setting adorned with a luxuriant floral arrangement, Carney's delicate hand calls to mind a classic quality in life. Thoughtful gradations of texture and colour between the canvas and the surface fuse to cultivate a refined age to each piece. The subtle nuances of timeless imagery, poised tone and composed surface quality make for an overall impact of classical beauty with a distinctively modernised touch, as Dennis Carney continues to reinvent.