R o b e r t M c N e i l l
C o n t e m p o r a r y A r t i s t
"What we see changes what we know. What we know changes what we see." Jean Piaget
Robert is an internationally renowned award winning artist whose depth of engagement when painting plant forms can be experienced firsthand through the stunning quality, accuracy and sensitivity of his work. His watercolours are strongly grounded in painterly processes to meet the complexity of his chosen subjects and bear witness to a creative process that is always in a state of flux.
His process employs rigorous objective visual enquiry, interrogating every aspect of a subject through the manipulation of light to ascertain which aspects reveal the essence and dynamic nature of the plant form.
The orchestration of his highly descriptive visual language is a testimony to his accrued years of in-depth knowledge and understanding regarding the dynamics, complexities and application of colour interaction. He has an unwavering patience and persistence regarding all aspects of his work, particularly when capturing the impact of light and colour. This, along with dynamic form and meticulous detail has become his "Hallmark".
Realism is not his objective; it is a byproduct of his process.
“My paintings can only ever be an approximation of what l perceive, an arrangement of colour relationships that create an illusion of reality on a flat substrate"