I love the concept of Phil Irish‘s work, currently on show at Galerie Joyce Yahouda.

His series of Map paintings titled Intimate is based on the idea of discovering hidden places. The artist asked friends and strangers for a hand-drawn maps which lead to a places that have special significance to them. He then follows the map and creates a painting documenting the final destination. His canvases are multi layered, collagey, painterly, and atmopsheric. Superimposed on the vistas are decorative graphic elements which symbolize the story of the place. Each painting integrates the hand-drawn map, tinted to harmonize with the composition. Irish has a great sense of colour, and each painting has its own special atmosphere, be it a cabin in the woods, a peacock farm, or a bridge with a down-town view.

Galerie Joyce Yahouda
space 516
Phil Irish
Intimate
until February 16, 2008
www.joyceyahoudagallery.com