Valerie Brennan interviews painter Niall Sheerin.

Sheerin explains: "Recently I had a nice experience of finding a lovely weather/sea-beaten piece of wood which I felt I could do something with. After working on it fairly quickly and loosely I was happy with the outcome as an authentic representation of where it was found. So now and again I take scavenging outings along the coastline, looking for other possible materials to paint on. These found materials lend themselves very well to what I am trying to achieve and are very much part of the finished work… sometimes a found object will point me in a particular direction. I will sometimes have a reference point and take it from there but I do not get overly concerned if the finished image tends to be more representational or a more abstracted interpretation of the landscape around me. Although I am aware that painting the landscape may be not very fashionable, my finished works are very much rooted in my surroundings and are also about putting down paint to achieve an aesthetic which is true and pleasing to my seeing. At all times I am trying to represent my surroundings and their authentic and unforgiving characteristics…"