Peter Burns is an Irish painter renowned for his richly layered, mythic oil paintings that blend elements of classical, biblical, and science fiction narratives. Born in 1979, Burns earned a BA in Sculpture and an MFA in Painting from the National College of Art & Design in Dublin. Drawing inspiration from the Renaissance and contemporary artists like Marcel Dzama, his work often features miniature protagonists navigating vast, otherworldly landscapes .
Burns' exhibitions include solo shows at Claremorris Gallery, Hillsboro Fine Art in Dublin, and Fenderesky Gallery in Belfast. His work has been featured in publications such as ArtForum, The Sunday Times, and Wall Street International Magazine. A recipient of the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant, he currently resides and works in County Mayo, Ireland.
Your work blends painting, sculpture, and collage. What draws you to more tactile mediums?
I did my BA in sculpture and my MA in painting. I have always made paintings and sculptures. The two parts of my practice used to be more separate but grew together organically over time. I have always been drawn in by the tactile qualities of painting; the thick brushstrokes in a Monet floating above areas of raw canvas, the bitumen like impenetrable blacks in a Ribera, the thick impasto tooth of a big cat in an exotic hunt by Delacroix, delicate flicks of the wrist in a renaissance painting indicating the crests of waves or distant mountain peaks, a magical touch of light in a Turner. I like getting my nose in to smell the paint.
Do your compositions begin with a clear plan, or do they evolve more intuitively in the studio?
Sometimes a composition will strongly impress itself on my mind. More often perhaps I will begin making marks on a canvas and let the paint suggest a way forward. Even within the more definite compositions I will always let the paint stimulate my imagination. Very often marks show through from earlier underpainting. I like to keep this history and continually incorporate it in the painting. I try to always surprise myself and adding elements like collage can introduce something unanticipated to the work. Thinning and thickening the paint, flicking paint on to the canvas wiping with a rag or finger painting, all these can be ways of enlivening a painting.
When looking for historical, religious, or mythological material, where do you typically turn for inspiration?
Certain Biblical themes are embedded in my consciousness since childhood; the Flood, Moses parting the Red Sea or Jonah & the whale. I often screenshot images from accounts on Instagram, particularly those specialising in medieval art. I am drawn to themes that have a strong resonance with me personally and also a sense of mystery. The theme of a wayfarer is one I often return to. I am also fascinated by the theme of Jacob & the Angel which I have painted many times.
Do you imagine your paintings as fragments of one continuous world, or are they each self-contained narratives?
I think the paintings could certainly be seen as explorations of a continuously unfolding world. I feel as if I am simultaneously creating & exploring an infinite painted terrain. It could be a sea bed, the surface of an alien planet, crevasses, skies or volcanic eruptions. There’s no limit. I also think (to paraphrase Bonnard) each painting has to be a self contained world. That is to say that each painting has its own inner logic and composition/balance.
Peter Burns, Under the Mountain, 2022, Oil on canvas
Your work often balances wonder with unease, is that contrast between danger and enchantment something you consciously pursue?
I try to give a sense of exploration & awe in my paintings . Often the discovery of beauty is inseparable with peril. In nature the two are always present. So you will see the memento mori present in many paintings in the Christian tradition. I address this sense of mortality in my own way. Sometimes I will paint a person being savaged by a wild beast or in potentially terrible isolation. I think painting should be adventurous in subject matter and in how it is made. There should be a sense of kinship for the viewer but it should also strike you as strange.
Are there any upcoming projects or exhibitions you’re excited about and able to share with us?
I will be doing an exhibition of large paintings, some quite epic in scale, at Hill House,(Simchowitz Gallery) in LA next year.
I will also have a solo exhibition of new work at Taylor Galleries in Dublin in 2026.
I am delighted to be currently participating in an wonderful group painting exhibition at Althuis Hofland in Amsterdam entitled “Sun.”
Visit Peter Burns' Website
Questions by Victoria Lucas
