Why Enamel and Glass?

My creative journey didn’t begin with painting—it started with sculpture.

I studied fine art sculpture at Edinburgh University, where art school functioned in its own beautifully chaotic way. We had some classes, but for the most part, we were left to explore, experiment, and create in the studio, pushing our work forward independently.

 

        Selected past sculptural works exploring found object manipulation and performance.

 

Back then, my art was conceptual and deeply influenced by my Irish heritage. I’ve always been fascinated by sociology—how culture, history, and people shape our perceptions. 

As an Irish artist, this curiosity led me to explore the lasting impact of the Catholic Church on Irish society, particularly themes of control, identity, and personal freedom.

It was raw, evocative work, and it earned me an RSA New Contemporaries Award in 2013, before I transitioned into a career in visual effects in film and TV.

 

My artwork, featured in the RSA New Contemporaries Exhibition at the Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh.

 

One of the most valuable lessons I learned from my sculptural training was that ‘drawing’ doesn’t have to mean pencil on paper.

 It can be movement, performance, found objects, sound, or film—anything that captures and translates an idea.

This way of thinking made me fearless in my approach to materials, constantly looking for new ways to create.

   

This satirical work draws on the strict virginity rules of Catholic Ireland, imagining a condom that could preserve one’s ‘purity’ while avoiding mortal sin. Until 1992, condoms were scarce in Ireland, smuggled in from the North as contraband.

Fast-forward ten years, and I found myself returning to hands-on creation, this time through painting.

But with my background, I couldn’t limit myself to traditional canvases—I was drawn to experimenting with different surfaces.

One day, I used a sheet of enamel and something clicked. The way the paint moved across the slick, non-absorbent surface mesmerised me. It felt alive, fluid, unpredictable—almost like a dance between pigment and material.

This discovery became the foundation of my work. 

Water plays a big role in my painting process, and enamel interacts with it in ways that a standard canvas never could. It allows for organic movement, spontaneous marks, and a kind of alchemy where control and chance meet. 

 

Beginning a new painting with one of my favourite colours, flowing freely in water—loose, expressive, and full of possibility.

Over time, I used specific tools and developed techniques to work with these surfaces, each one giving rise to textures and details that simply can’t be replicated on traditional materials.

Glass and enamel paintings are different.

They have a presence, a depth, a luminescence that shifts with the light.

They are for those who are drawn to the unconventional—art collectors and interior lovers who crave pieces that are different and dynamic. 

                                           Gorm na Peacoige - Finished and framed! 

 

If you're drawn to art that invites stillness, holds your gaze, and carries a hint of the unexpected— these works are for you.