O'Carolan 2016

Joe Machine made "O'Carolan" using paint, and the way he applies it is pretty captivating; the colors are earthy and warm, creating an otherworldly atmosphere. I'm really drawn to how Machine builds up the surface with all this texture. You can almost feel the rough bark of the trees and the delicate petals falling from above, which gives the painting this tactile quality, like it’s something you could reach out and touch. Look at how the paint creates these intricate patterns. It's as if each mark is carefully considered, contributing to the overall feeling of the piece. This painting really makes me think of Paula Rego’s folk-inspired narratives. Like her, Machine is weaving a story with ambiguous figures, leaving us to fill in the gaps. And isn’t that what art is all about? It's an ongoing conversation across time, where ideas are exchanged, reinterpreted, and transformed.