PATRICIA BUTLER ANTIQUE COLLECTOR'S BOOK, 2000
"Art gallery owner and conservator James Gorry, in his introduction to the work of Gerard Byrne, remarked that Irish weather is not conductive to plein air painting! Weather conditions in Ireland dictate that artist who persist in painting out of doors in inclement weather are forced to produce preparatory sketches which will ultimately serve as the foundation on which to finish the larger work in the studio.
This is not the case with Byrne whom James Gorry encountered on Dublin street, battling with the elements, surrounded by onlookers, painting a large canvas. This artist paints on a grand scale, applying his paint in a bold, direct way on the canvas. His work, no matter what the subject matter, is lively and reveals a vibrant palette full of a joie de vivre. He frequently adopts unusual perspectives, as seen here in his view of the The Old Palm House, National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin, taken from a series of recent paintings executed in the gardens.'