Myles Hourican's artistic career began in 2002 when he worked as an illustrator for Species Magazine, the official publication of the World Conservation Union (IUCN). That year Hourican also completed his European Baccalaureate, excelling in Art - his major. In 2002 Hourican also began study in painting at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Brussels, where there was a strong emphasis placed on figurative painting, drawing technique, and live models. At the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Hourican studied under the celebrated Belgian artist Andre Ruelle. As a student in the Beaux-arts, Hourican became heavily influenced by Belgian and Flemish painters, from Breugel and Rembrandt right up to more contemporary painters such as Ensor and Spillaert. Continually testing the boundaries of space and light, Hourican paints as a student of the 'old masters' while maintaining a contemporary edge. Working in oil paints, Hourican's paintings are generally built up with seven to eight successive layers of paint, which allow him to capture illuminating light and shadow. Chosen for their shape, colour, and texture, the objects Hourican represents in his still-lives have no clear symbolic meaning, but each item is necessary in order to create the overall effect-a unity of tone, colour, and form. His work exhibits a silent beauty, an elegant stillness, recalling a simpler more peaceful time of years gone by. They are subtle gems, fit for any room or any personality. Hourican is currently working as a full-time artist between Brussels and Dublin.
