Sean Corcoran
Over the years Sean Corcoran has worked in lots of different artforms. He began working in stained glass when he was 16 and later moved on to mosaic. Photography and film have always been an important part of Sean's practice whether as a film-maker or exhibiting digital art. He draws every day and likes to create whimsical hand drawn maps. Sean likes to document his projects and has had a few books published, as well as releasing short films of his work. Sand Art is his current creative passion. Sean likes to draw massive pictures on beaches with a garden rake!
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What is your job?
+I’m an environmental artist. That means I work in the environment with the raw materials that are already there. I work in wild remote places, in forests and on the shore. I often produce artworks for festivals around Ireland and the UK and I’ve even worked in Texas! I’m best known for my sand art where I draw giant pictures on beaches with a garden rake!
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When did you know you wanted art to be your job?
+I had no plans to be an artist! I left school after my leaving cert, when I was still only sixteen years of age. I started making stained glass and mosaic first and after several years of designing and making things I discovered I had plenty of talent and patience. It wasn’t until maybe ten years after that I accepted I was an artist.
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Did you attend art college?
+Back in those days many of my friends went to art college but I never did. They would show me everything they were learning and working on. Most of my friends gave up on their art while I continued on. So I guess I’m self taught. I’m a lifetime learner, I’m constantly researching and learning new things and challenging myself as an artist.
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What is art to you?
+I guess every artist has their own idea of what art is to them. For me I like to make things that are beautiful and I like to provoke a positive reaction in people that come across my art. I like to make people smile. Being an artist is a way of life, making things is a necessity for me. If I couldn’tmake things I don’t know what I would do or how I would feel.
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Why is art important?
+Some people are art lovers, for others art is a creative outlet that helps them to express themselves. It lovely to see that in more recent years there is greater appreciation for the role of artists and what they contribute to society. Artists have a valuable role to play. And remember there are many forms of art. Literature, music, dance, film and so on.
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Do you have a favourite type of art?
+Currently my favourite art is environmental art, working outdoors in nature. I like to experiment too and like to mix up differentart forms, like collaborating with musicians and film-makers.
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What inspires you and your art?
+I like to work impromptu by just responding to the landscape and materials on the day. A lot of my artworks would incorporate bubbles and spirals and organic shapes. An octopus! A Celtic pathway! An underwater dream!
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Do you have a creative philosophy?
+I try not to overthink my art in advance. Sometimes less is more! I do however keep an accurate archive of photos of all of my work and when I look back on the images I can see the progress and inspiration behind my work.
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What advice do you have for young artists?
+Keep at it! Don’t give up! Don’t let anyone or anything put you off. You can make a career as an artist and it’s a very rewarding career.
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What advice would you give your teenage self ?
+Back then I didn’t document my work very well so I would love to have kept a better record of all the things I made.
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What do you like about working with sand as a material?
+It’s the temporary nature of sand art that appeals to me most. A few hours later the drawing is washed away and I have a new blank canvas to work with the next day.