I have always been interested in image making. In 2010, I graduated from Belfast School of Art, having specialised in printmaking. My degree show was purchased by the NHS and is now permanently exhibited at the Ulster Hospital. In the years after graduating, my work has been part of numerous exhibitions and art collections, both public and private.
My love of science fiction and the cinematography styles used in sci-fi films have influenced my work over the years: the gritty imagery, the strong colour contrasts and most importantly to me, the explosive skies. For the past few years, I have been living and working in an inner-city environment that has impacted on my previous works, including 'Europa Heights' and 'Vertical Stranmillis'.
I am now back living on the North Coast of Ireland, where I grew up and have a renewed admiration of its beauty. Recently I have been incorporating the breathtaking landscapes that now surround me into my work. My most recent body of work, 'Coordinates', is a series of epic landscape images, each entitled with the corresponding latitude and longitude coordinates of where the image was taken. I want the viewer to feel like they can step into each image and enjoy the vista in its entirety. The viewer can also use the co-ordinates to track the location. I was inspired by Ansel Adams, a photographer who created alien-like landscapes that I thoroughly enjoy. After reading his book, I now apply some of the techniques that he used in his work as I continue on my own journey of imagemaking.
Returning to the North Coast of Ireland has been an interesting journey for me and one that I want to share with other people. As a teenager, I was oblivious to its beauty and was dazzled by the idea of city living, but having returned several years later, I see a unique environment that evokes cherished memories and inspires me to create new ones in ways that I cannot fully put into words.
please look at my website www.conoredgell.com
or instagram @conoredgell