Mark de Freyne is one of the more exciting painters to emerge from the Dun Laoghaire School of Art and Design. Although born in Dublin he spent some time in rural County Wicklow in the vicinity of Annamoe, after graduation in 1981, painting the landscape, before he moved to Bray where he now resides and has his studio. Bray Head with its steep incline and proximity to the sea is a constant source of inspiration for him and in summertime he likes to take long walks around that promontory experiencing the changing light on rocks and fields, which he afterwards transmutes into art in the studio.
De Freyne paints in both oils and acrylics. He has expressed admiration for the works of Patrick Collins HRHA, Tony O’Malley HRHA and Peter Collis RHA. He has a keen colour sense and a lively, tactile style. He paints compulsively in both media, quickly sketching in the initial outline of each idea before wrestling with the paints for solitary weeks or even months to realise his vision. The results are dense, carefully crafted paintings of exceptional feeling and integrity.
He is not satisfied with mere representation of landscape but seeks instead for a more distilled, spiritual interpretation of natural phenomena interacting with human activities. The landscape of Co.Wicklow is still often the starting point in his art, but he eschews easy representational painting. Instead, he constantly strives for something deeper, more elemental, evolving from his observations in the vicinity of rocky Bray Head, near which he resides. The landscape evolves into abstraction on his canvasses and his art combines subtlety of treatment with a strong and individual sense of colour.
His compositions are daring and imaginative. The viewer is left with the feeling that this artist is completely in tune with the changing seasons and the harmonies of nature.
His recent works demonstrate his ever increasing maturity. The works are as painterly as ever, but this time more figurative and even more individual. His figures are enigmatic, set against abstracted backgrounds of striking blues and greens which are ever-present. The artist does not like to overly explain his work: his figurative compositions are mysterious and entirely subjective, commanding input from the viewer and inviting them to look beyond the surface images.
He is a perfectionist in the pursuit of his vision, working slowly and discarding whatever fails to meet his high standards. His work continues to develop and his paintings can be found in the following public collections: AIB, OPW, The Contemporary Irish Art Society, the National Self Portrait collection and many discerning private collections. He is a regular exhibitor at the Peppercanister Gallery.
