The inspiration for my work comes from music, urban settings, the energy of my surroundings and viewing other artists’ work. When it comes to architectural and urban scene paintings, I get a lot of ideas from exploring and working in the city. After doing sketches on site and taking photos, I stretch my own canvas or cut panels to the scale I want my painting. I work out my ideas in the studio and I particularly enjoy the beginning phase of a new piece. The initial drawing is very exciting when I react and draw quickly and lay down the structure and foundation for a finished piece. This is yet another reason why I am so attracted to painting urban scenes. As I introduce color to a developing piece, I continue to treat it like drawing, as in drawing with paint. I paint in three hour sessions and typically work on one or two paintings simultaneously. I usually work on a piece for one to three months until I feel it is complete. As I sense the painting is closer to completion, the final marks and gestures are applied with more specificity and assurance. This process allows me to develop a rich, textured painting and also capture the raw, spontaneous energy of what I see and experience.
More of Flood’s work may be seen at www.seanfloodart.com