Unfinished Work
As poor health took its toll on Liam, he fought to uphold his commitment to his craft and a legacy reflective of his diverse interests.
Another of Liam’s life-long ambitions, was to produce a piece that documented the history of the Guinness factory in Dublin, Ireland. The piece featured, was intended to depict the Guinness river barges which transported the beer kegs down Dublin’s river Liffey from St. James’s Gate Brewery to Dublin Port, between the years of 1870 to 1960.
Although the piece never advanced beyond the early stages, one gets an understanding of the artist’s process in regards to relief work through the pencil lines which map the intended route of the chisel, to the scores which indicate the elements of the work and story, to which the artist has already committed.
Art. No. 41: Guinness barge -Spanish chestnut - 1990's - H62 x W134 x D2 cm - 8.1 kg - Relief/ wall
Art. No. 41: Guinness barge -Spanish chestnut - 1990's - H62 x W134 x D2 cm - 8.1 kg - Relief/ wall
When creating a 3-D sculptural piece, Liam started with a block of wood on which he sketched the view from all aspects before commencing in rough strokes with a gouge and mallet to remove the excess wood. He would then advance to the more intricate detail by way of a finer chisel. When one examines such a piece, it is difficult to conceive the thought process that leads to not only the remaining piece, but also the space between.