Paul Cashin is an Irish artist and graduate from Limerick School of Art and Design. He completed a BA in Fine Art receiving a First Class Honours. Paul also received the Award for Innovation in Practice 2018 by the Offices of the Collector General for the work presented in his final year Degree Show. Paul’s paintings will generally cover a wide variety of subjects with the figure being an important staple to the compositions. Because of Paul’s broad area of interest his paintings can often include a variety of techniques and subject matter. His paintings continually question topics ranging from composition and surface, landscape and figuration, space and time, narrative and history, most commonly linked under the heading of disorientation. It is observable that Paul’s work will tie various combinations of these topics together, creating compositions that neither exist nor are imaginary, but rather occupy the territory of the daydream. Paul observes the confusion in the world around him and aims in interpret it using intuition to dictate the composition and subject matter, trying to find meaning in his subject matter yet ultimately unaware of the works true underlying essence. This meaning will develop and eventually reveal itself after the passing of time. Just as history only becomes clear after it passes so to does Paul believe that his paintings only reveal their true meaning after the passing of time. The space between the fragmented layers creates an illusion that disrupts and confuses the eye. This can make the painting quite uncomfortable to look at as the image is ever changing and never stationary due to the stance and movement of the viewer. Nor can it ever totally match up with its opposite layer due to its separation. The action in the painting is trapped in a non-existent, ever changing space, it has already happened, it is happening now and it will happen as long as the piece exists.
The act of intentionally destroying his work acted as a cleanse, allowing him to accept the idea that a work doesn't have to last forever, that sometimes for a piece to be complete it must be defaced or destroyed. This exercise led him to question the longevity of painting. Does a painting have to last forever? Can it be temporary? Why is it so hard to destroy work and does the act of destroying it despite the galling add a quality to the work? This introspection delivered him from attempted perfectionism and allowed him to create his latest works.