Good Grief ~ Permanent Smile

Concept

Weir's approach to painting has been influenced by the countries he has lived in - Scotland, The Netherlands, Japan, Hungary, & Germany. Since 2005 he has lived in countries where English was not the first language. The experience of living in cities where he (initially) couldn't understand the written or spoken word is reflected in his artwork through the imagery used. Weir enjoys creating an interplay between recognizable and abstract forms. The familiar and the foreign. He is fascinated with the relationship between symbols (e.g. language and mythological symbolism) and the variety of meanings they contain. These communicative systems that we create, modify, and discard have an ephemeral nature. Individual words lose their original meanings and change, and may hold different meanings depending on the user. Whole languages are lost, discovered, and created. Symbols which were once taboo or progressive become irrelevant. These conflicting and transient ideas are a point of confusion, humor and happiness for him. Weir's artworks are a way to share these feelings through a collage of paint layers, motifs, found objects, and text.