George Henry Smyth
Encyclopedia
George H Smyth is an artist
born in Ardglass
, County Down
, Northern Ireland
.
. Introduced by a mutual friend to the drummer, Fyfe Ewing
, a connection was made and the band chose George to design the cover of their debut, self financed single and two subsequent albums. He has fond memories of this period, "That was a great time being involved with those guys. Here were three very talented, angry young musicians who wanted to make music that sounded like nothing else around at that time." Their attitude reflected George's own and the resulting images are as loud as the music!
From 1991 to'94 George attended The University of Ulster
and left with a B.A Honours degree in Fine Art. His work from this period of his life, living in Belfast, is a world away from the paintings that would make him famous. Heavily influenced by the German Expressionists, the Scottish Realists; Ken Currie and Peter Howson, (who he had befriended) and the work of local painters; Rita Duffy and Dermot Seymour , his own work became dark and brooding. It was also during this time that George started to travel and this was to have lasting affect on his artistic output.
----
Travelling The World
Travelling the world and visiting galleries and museums allowed him to study paintings he had only pondered over in books. Seeing the work of De Chirico, Magritte and of course Dali consummated his love with the surrealists. Cultural experience also fired his imagination and paintings such as "The Mask", "Time Traveller" and "Man and Painting" are all direct results of visiting such places as Fiji, Egypt and Australia.
California soon became his favourite destination, making Los Angeles his base he travelled all over the state. Charged by the heat and light he felt the need to inject this into his paintings, attempting to imbue the local landscape of home, (which he was beginning to use in his work), with the climate of the Golden State. "Tyrella Beach infused with the L.A. sunshine is probably a good way of describing a lot of the work", he says.
Tyrella, Co.Down where the artist has lived since 1995 is a major influence on his art. His studio has one of the best views in Ireland. "To the east is St. Johns Point and famous lighthouse, over west I have a dramatic panorama of the equally famous Mourne mountains and miles of horizon in between. Who wouldn't be inspired?".
Current Work And Commissions
Since leaving the city and moving out to the beach George has worked hard to become one of Ireland's most sought-after artists. One-man shows quickly sold out and demand for private commissions took precedence over putting on exhibitions. His canvasses engage both the heart and mind, provoking thought and stimulating debate in all who see them. He hopes this website will provide fans of his paintings the opportunity to view the progression of his work and an understanding of his influences.
http://www.georgehsmyth.com
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
born in Ardglass
Ardglass
Ardglass is a coastal village in County Down, Northern Ireland and still a relatively important fishing harbour. It is situated on the B1 Ardglass to Downpatrick road, about 11 kilometres to the south east of Downpatrick, in the Lecale peninsula on the Irish Sea. It had a population of 1,668...
, County Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
Background
George H. Smyth was born in Ardglass in 1968. His father was a talented water-colourist. Before entering Art College, he had produced art work for Irish rock band Therapy?Therapy?
Therapy? is an alternative metal band from Northern Ireland. The band was formed in 1989 by guitarist–vocalist Andy Cairns from Ballyclare and drummer-vocalist Fyfe Ewing from Larne, Northern Ireland. The band initially recorded their first demo with Cairns filling in on bass guitar...
. Introduced by a mutual friend to the drummer, Fyfe Ewing
Fyfe Ewing
Fyfe Alexander Ewing , is best known as the original drummer and founding member of rock band Therapy?.-Therapy?:...
, a connection was made and the band chose George to design the cover of their debut, self financed single and two subsequent albums. He has fond memories of this period, "That was a great time being involved with those guys. Here were three very talented, angry young musicians who wanted to make music that sounded like nothing else around at that time." Their attitude reflected George's own and the resulting images are as loud as the music!
From 1991 to'94 George attended The University of Ulster
University of Ulster
The University of Ulster is a multi-campus, co-educational university located in Northern Ireland. It is the largest single university in Ireland, discounting the federal National University of Ireland...
and left with a B.A Honours degree in Fine Art. His work from this period of his life, living in Belfast, is a world away from the paintings that would make him famous. Heavily influenced by the German Expressionists, the Scottish Realists; Ken Currie and Peter Howson, (who he had befriended) and the work of local painters; Rita Duffy and Dermot Seymour , his own work became dark and brooding. It was also during this time that George started to travel and this was to have lasting affect on his artistic output.
----
Travelling The World
Travelling the world and visiting galleries and museums allowed him to study paintings he had only pondered over in books. Seeing the work of De Chirico, Magritte and of course Dali consummated his love with the surrealists. Cultural experience also fired his imagination and paintings such as "The Mask", "Time Traveller" and "Man and Painting" are all direct results of visiting such places as Fiji, Egypt and Australia.
California soon became his favourite destination, making Los Angeles his base he travelled all over the state. Charged by the heat and light he felt the need to inject this into his paintings, attempting to imbue the local landscape of home, (which he was beginning to use in his work), with the climate of the Golden State. "Tyrella Beach infused with the L.A. sunshine is probably a good way of describing a lot of the work", he says.
Tyrella, Co.Down where the artist has lived since 1995 is a major influence on his art. His studio has one of the best views in Ireland. "To the east is St. Johns Point and famous lighthouse, over west I have a dramatic panorama of the equally famous Mourne mountains and miles of horizon in between. Who wouldn't be inspired?".
Current Work And Commissions
Since leaving the city and moving out to the beach George has worked hard to become one of Ireland's most sought-after artists. One-man shows quickly sold out and demand for private commissions took precedence over putting on exhibitions. His canvasses engage both the heart and mind, provoking thought and stimulating debate in all who see them. He hopes this website will provide fans of his paintings the opportunity to view the progression of his work and an understanding of his influences.
External links
- artist archive website dating back to 1990 includes Therapy? covers and work by his father
- A commercial gallery carrying images of work by George H Smyth
http://www.georgehsmyth.com