I came to Ballinglen in January 2017. I had been living in Japan at the time where I was working on a series of paintings of Japanese gardens seen through windows and doorways. In these paintings, I stylized the interior: there is minimal modelling, flattened colours and simplified forms. Having been influenced by the Japanese aesthetic and my own experience as a designer this became a device to frame the gardens I wanted to paint.

At Ballinglen, I decided to continue with this same theme. I worked on six new paintings that were the same size as the Japanese ones and also on linen. Looking In/Looking Out: Ballinglen Library is an interior of the library at Ballinglen. The interior is simplified: the books have no names on them, there is a Richard Gorman painting at the centre. The two windows look out on to the street and the long since closed Polke’s pub. It is cold and damp outside — January in County Mayo. The painting has a slightly uncomfortable, surreal quality to it.         - Ed Miliano