Thomas McNeill

Thomas McNeill works from his studio on his family farm, located near the north coast of Northern Ireland. His practical skills, which have evolved during his working life on the farm, are pivotal to his theorical understanding of the socio-political themes which permeate his work. Despite the organic underpinnings of his practical life, he has also found existential accomplishment in experimentation and has redefined his creative potential as a visual artist. His creative methods include appropriating found objects and materials, some of which have direct connections too events while others are imbued with symbolic or metaphorical significance. Many of his themes and ideas represent experiences from his life, some of which date back to his earliest memories. Many memories remain vivid and communicate deep and lasting psychological truths through a hybrid of normative representation and of contemporary theories. By experimenting with unusual and diverse materials, many of which are appropriated from his rural surroundings, he has found new and creative possibilities of representation, in an attempt to be both personal and universal in his work.