Niamh Porter makes paintings of rooms and objects that quietly reflect on time, intimacy and desire …
My love of art began in childhood, heavily influenced by a local Kerry artist, Honoré Kennedy. She lived in Ardfert, the village my family moved to from Dublin in 1999. As an art teacher, Honoré was exceptionally generous and encouraging. I would go to her beautiful light-filled home, where you were met by a colourful stained glass wall as you walked in. We would paint in her studio or kitchen; it was really lovely. Looking back, that distinct space is very vivid in my mind. I felt understood and supported by her, which established my love of painting.
That early interest was encouraged by my family. My Granda, a silversmith and polisher, was a constant source of encouragement. It’s interesting to see how important people or moments in my life come to the surface in my practice today. My interest in interiors, architectural space, reflections and highlights can probably be traced all the way back to then!
I see my work as an intuitive study of domestic spaces, materials, longing and desire. I try to bridge the gap between a real place and the memory it holds. I focus mostly on modernist (although sometimes before and beyond) interiors and individual objects, especially those designed by or for women.
I think the paintings often sit somewhere between specificity and an impression. I add detail in one area while stripping back or blurring out paint in another. Another characteristic of my painting is the minimal amount of actual paint sitting on the canvas. While that approach is very natural to me, I love how very little can imply texture, whether it’s chrome, porcelain or weight of fabric.
Eileen Gray is an inspiration to me. I’ve studied her work for years, so whenever I hit a creative block, looking at what she made pulls me right back out of it. It’s complete adoration on my part. Her second house Tempe à Pailla is much less famous, but it feels so personal to her. Her biographer Peter Adam actually called it ‘a house for herself.’ It’s privately owned now, so we can only get a sense of it through archival photos, which gives it this very mysterious quality. And the name is so beautiful. It comes from the Provençal proverb, “Avec le temps et la paille, les nèfles mûrissent,” translating to “With time and straw, the medlars ripen.” It’s all about how things need time and nourishment to come to fruition. When she lived there, she was making so much experimental furniture, creating with incredible momentum in a space that was completely her own.
I’m fascinated by how an empty room can hold an almost palpable feeling. What inspires me most about homes, specifically women’s spaces, is the sense of purpose beyond functionality. The intention could have been to exercise autonomy, secure total privacy, nourish and care for oneself. I think that intention generates an energy you can still feel, even through photographs. Many of these domestic spaces no longer exist so, ultimately, painting is my way of intimately connecting with beautiful environments that would otherwise remain completely out of reach.
My work begins with collecting. I spend hours sifting through digital archives and museum collections for source material. What I love about that process is that it’s never linear; one image always leads to another and another. Discovering a new designer is so exciting and I get such a buzz from finding an object or an interior that feels special. Over the years, I’ve gathered hundreds of images.
I edit by drawing as it helps me get a sense of the structure, figure out what makes the space function and isolate what’s integral to it. When I move to canvas, I always start with a coloured ground, map out where the light hits and slowly build up the painting from there. That ground colour is really important because it decides the palette going forward. I’m quite ruthless and a tough critic when I paint. If it doesn’t feel right, I scrap the whole thing and begin again. That’s the hardest part!
I work in Cork City, having moved here in 2023 from Limerick. I work from home, which suits my practice for now; it just makes sense given the subject matter. While space can sometimes be a challenge, I’ve found over the years that this familiarity is a big comfort and it’s where I’ve made paintings that I’m most proud of.
Need to know: Niamh Porter’s exhibition The Shape of Longing is on at Taylor Galleries in Taylor Two, the gallery’s newly established second-floor exhibition space dedicated to artists who are currently unrepresented, giving an important platform to early career artists in Ireland. @porter_niamh.
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