Work in Group Show, Portlaoise

Massively late with this blog post which seems to be the pattern at the minute. I have work in a group show titled Grúpa. The exhibition is on in The Peppers Lane Gallery, pop up venue set up by friend and fellow Laois artist Aishling Hennessey. The exhibition runs until the end of August so it’s going for another 2 weeks if you’re in town. Also if you would like to hear a chat I had with Aishling for the podcast, you can here it here - Episode 2

Work in Progress - August 2020 & Birr Arts Festival

First post in a while, I got a good bit of painting done over the few months of lockdown, I managed to get two of them finished before I give them a glaze or two and I’m hoping to get some still life paintings of the props done over the next few weeks. I’m still looking into introducing new characters and I’m thinking of using a really local myth about werewolves, in the western half of Laois and Kilkenny county, which used to make up the old kingdom of Ossory there are several myths about werewolves so I’m thinking of going along the same lines as the sluagh and making some sort of mask that would be fairly solid and easy to manage.

I’d also like to do something with the Stray Sod creature. I think it features a fair bit in fantasy but it has origins in Celtic mythology, so I’ll be starting to work on a costume for that at some point soon too.

In July we ran 4 weeks of workshops to conclude what people had paid for prior to lockdown, they finished last week or the week before. A few things have been rescheduled, confirmed and proposed.

First up this week, I’m delighted to have 2 paintings showing in Birr Arts Festival which will be hosted virtually here. The festival launches on Friday 14th of August at 6:30, all information can be found over at the link on the Birr Vintage Week Facebook page

One of the Horde, Oil on Canvas, 2020. One of the 2 paintings being exhibited virtually in Birr this week.

Next up then is 2 exhibitions in October, both curated by friend and artist Sinéad Keogh, Soul Noir is returning for it’s fourth year and will be in Dublin and the second show is a solo exhibition in Tallaght Library that Sinéad is organising and curating, I’ll post dates and details closer to the time. She has a place secured in Clondalkin Library too, I’m not sure of the dates yet for that one but I’ll be giving talks at both.

Westport has been rescheduled too for the end of February, so all going well it’s down to launch on February 25th at Custom House Studios. There’s a couple more things lined up but I’ll post about them later as they approach.

Work Showing in Maynooth

I have a few paintings on show in Maynooth this week. I was delighted to be invited to take part in The Soul Noir Festival of the Dark Arts again, my friend and artist Sinéad Keogh is curating it for the third year in a row and it’s in Laragh House, dating from 1740, it’s located in the middle of a woods just outside of Maynooth town.

Laragh House

The Festival opens tomorrow night (October 31st) and will be on show until Friday night, for more information on the artists taking part and images of the venue, you can visit the Soul Noir website.

One Who Can Reveal Hidden Treasure, Oil on Canvas, 2018. One of the paintings I have at the Soul Noir 2019