Vincent Spain is an Irish painter working and living in London. He studied Ceramics at Camberwell College of Arts until 1999. His mostly figurative work takes inspiration from his travels as well as his personal experiences in London.

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Memory Serving as Inspiration.

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Spain‘s work is the result of a catalogue of images and experiences retained and processed until such time as they emerge as a painting. He describes it like trying to remember a dream, the more you try, the more it eludes and the finished result is a collage of experience and past encounters. He divides his time between the UK, South of France and Italy, the latter being the polar opposite of busy city life which allows him to contemplate and make sense of these encounters, while drawing on the rich tapestry of life in Marseille and beyond.

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The Process.

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Spain mostly works directly onto wood panel. He does not sketch beforehand Instead preferring to approach a piece of work as a method actor might, by absorbing a sense of place and persona, allowing the image to appear by a process of mark making, editing, eliminating and fine tuning until a painting emerges. Often unaware as to how he got there, the painting somehow paints itself.

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Acclaimed Emerging Artist.

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Vincent Spain has gained acclaim and recognition in the UK thanks to his participation in well-established exhibitions such as: the Columbia Threadneedle Painting Prize, the Sunday Times Watercolour Competition, ING Discerning Eye, The Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers. Shortlisted for John Moores.