Overview

In 'The Philosopher's Stone', Michael Desmond draws an analogy between the pursuits of ancient alchemists—who sought to transform base metals into gold—and the artist's own practice: attempting to elevate humble materials, such as fabric and coloured muds, into something more enduring and meaningful.

Desmond's paintings do not depict his personal philosophies literally, but rather approach them through parable, metaphor, and visual simile. Themes such as chance, existence, society, divinity, violence, and human nature thread through the works—not as declarations, but as contemplative gestures shaped by time, introspection, and the social fabric we share.

The resulting images function as talismans more than treatises: suggestive rather than didactic, and open-ended rather than definitive. While they engage with weighty subjects, their tone leans toward wit and charm over provocation or profundity. Emerging from questions raised during lockdown and its aftermath, these paintings are intimate in scale and framed in elaborately hand-painted borders that evoke devotional icons, domestic fetishes, or even stray thoughts made tangible.

Though Desmond eschews the role of philosopher, this body of work is a painter's playful engagement with the alchemical potential of image-making—seeking, if not gold, then something enduringly reflective.

Image credit: Michael Desmond 'The Peaceable Kingdom' 2024