Memories are so many things to so many people, my memories are atmospheric and a little elusive Im always trying to catch them, half the time they only exist in my imagination- I would love to brighten up your every day rooms with memories real or imagined!
Perhaps a summers day idling in a grassy meadow, a wild exciting walk on a stormy beach, picnic in the dunes, a stroll in the woods. My inspiration is gathered from my surroundings and memories and linking the two in my own way. I love to immerse myself in the wild seaside landscapes in the south and west of Ireland as well as gentle summer meadows in the south and east of Ireland, the waving grasses and beautiful colour. These paintings and locations have a dreamy feel and are wonderful locations to visit as well as to paint. Some of the paintings bring us to a relaxed quiet space - lying in the long grass and seeing our surroundings from a slightly different point of view, remembering hazy lazy days of childhood. Others energise and excite with the wild sea spray and dynamic waves.
It often feels like I am painting the wind blowing waves on the beach or shimmering the grasses in the meadow.
My paintings and drawings aren't precious, don't put them in the "Good Room" stick em on the kitchen wall where everyone can enjoy them every day!
Perhaps a summers day idling in a grassy meadow, a wild exciting walk on a stormy beach, picnic in the dunes, a stroll in the woods. My inspiration is gathered from my surroundings and memories and linking the two in my own way. I love to immerse myself in the wild seaside landscapes in the south and west of Ireland as well as gentle summer meadows in the south and east of Ireland, the waving grasses and beautiful colour. These paintings and locations have a dreamy feel and are wonderful locations to visit as well as to paint. Some of the paintings bring us to a relaxed quiet space - lying in the long grass and seeing our surroundings from a slightly different point of view, remembering hazy lazy days of childhood. Others energise and excite with the wild sea spray and dynamic waves.
It often feels like I am painting the wind blowing waves on the beach or shimmering the grasses in the meadow.
My paintings and drawings aren't precious, don't put them in the "Good Room" stick em on the kitchen wall where everyone can enjoy them every day!
Where it all started: For as long as I can remember I wanted to paint and to draw..... as a kid I was always making stuff and experimenting with bits and pieces of whatever was to hand. My mum was always doing crafts in the garage which she sold at markets; christmas logs, wreaths, dried flower arrangements ....and we got to help, so I suppose its in my bones!
Then I grew up, worked, travelled, had three lovely kids, had lots of fun, enjoyed life...... and started to paint and make again with the children.
I now have a studio beside my home in a beautiful seaside town on the east coast of Ireland and I paint as often as I can.
I went to Art College when my children were in school and
I had my first solo exhibition in 2006 just after I graduated and my second solo exhibition in December 2016.
What I have done over the years!
I have exhibited all over Ireland and a bit in the UK, and my work has been bought by customers as far afield as California and Australia. Exhibiting includes the RHA Annual Exhibition, The Lab in Foley Street, The DLR Lexicon, Fringe Arts Bath Festival, UK, The Talbot Gallery, Adams Contemporary & Fine Art Auction, Green Acres Gallery in Wexford, The Dun Laoghiare Art Gallery Co. Dublin, Fitzpatricks Castle Hotel, Killiney, Dalkey Arts Gallery in Co Dublin, The Tramyard Gallery in Dalkey, Co Dublin, The Blue Loft Gallery, Ranelagh, Dublin 4, and Airfield House, Kilmacud, among others.
In the winter of 2015/16 I was lucky to be selected on the DLR writer in residence programme where a group of us worked with writer Selina Guinness to make new stories and it was fascinating, it helped focus my painting as well because a lot of my painting is about memory, the memory of an event or a conversation, a happy place and maybe a time when we were more carefree, the little things that form our lives and our friends and families. Sometimes remembering the carefree summer days helps remind us that they will come back again soon!! I use lots of colour in my paintings and hope you can feel the mood and become engrossed in the painting.
The drawings I make are always changing but they relate to whatever painting I am doing, they go hand in hand. And they look fab framed in chunky black frames.
As well as exhibiting my paintings and drawings, I have been involved in lots of public projects which include Commissions, Workshops, setting up studios, an Art Market in Dalkey. I was part of the team that set up the DLR Artists Network, and a founder member of the Dalkey Creates Festival. I did Set Design for my kids schools (even after they left the school). I ran the Dun Laoghaire Art Gallery in Georges Street Dun Laoghaire which was a great space for artists and exhibitions, events, talks and DLR Artist Network meetings.
Then I grew up, worked, travelled, had three lovely kids, had lots of fun, enjoyed life...... and started to paint and make again with the children.
I now have a studio beside my home in a beautiful seaside town on the east coast of Ireland and I paint as often as I can.
I went to Art College when my children were in school and
I had my first solo exhibition in 2006 just after I graduated and my second solo exhibition in December 2016.
What I have done over the years!
I have exhibited all over Ireland and a bit in the UK, and my work has been bought by customers as far afield as California and Australia. Exhibiting includes the RHA Annual Exhibition, The Lab in Foley Street, The DLR Lexicon, Fringe Arts Bath Festival, UK, The Talbot Gallery, Adams Contemporary & Fine Art Auction, Green Acres Gallery in Wexford, The Dun Laoghiare Art Gallery Co. Dublin, Fitzpatricks Castle Hotel, Killiney, Dalkey Arts Gallery in Co Dublin, The Tramyard Gallery in Dalkey, Co Dublin, The Blue Loft Gallery, Ranelagh, Dublin 4, and Airfield House, Kilmacud, among others.
In the winter of 2015/16 I was lucky to be selected on the DLR writer in residence programme where a group of us worked with writer Selina Guinness to make new stories and it was fascinating, it helped focus my painting as well because a lot of my painting is about memory, the memory of an event or a conversation, a happy place and maybe a time when we were more carefree, the little things that form our lives and our friends and families. Sometimes remembering the carefree summer days helps remind us that they will come back again soon!! I use lots of colour in my paintings and hope you can feel the mood and become engrossed in the painting.
The drawings I make are always changing but they relate to whatever painting I am doing, they go hand in hand. And they look fab framed in chunky black frames.
As well as exhibiting my paintings and drawings, I have been involved in lots of public projects which include Commissions, Workshops, setting up studios, an Art Market in Dalkey. I was part of the team that set up the DLR Artists Network, and a founder member of the Dalkey Creates Festival. I did Set Design for my kids schools (even after they left the school). I ran the Dun Laoghaire Art Gallery in Georges Street Dun Laoghaire which was a great space for artists and exhibitions, events, talks and DLR Artist Network meetings.
Creating new images is where I want to be. I love being out in the fields or on the beach taking it all in. The feel of the grasses moving with the summer wind, the roar of the sea on a wild windy day - I take it in and I bring it back to my studio, sometimes I draw on the spot but mostly I like to photograph things and let the ideas and images settle in my head. I rarely paint from these photographs or the initial drawings-I do them and then put them aside, I like letting the paintings work it out for themselves from whatever research I have done. They seem to me to be more natural that way. More immediate even though I didn't do them on the spot. I love colour, I love blending and mixing and finding surprising results. There are many happy accidents in my paintings but I really think that they are what helps form the atmosphere and the excitement. I'm never bored in my studio in Dalkey I have so much material in my lovely garden, I can stroll up Killiney Hill, off to the beach in Killiney, or the Harbours at Colimore, or Bulloch in Dalkey. We spend most of our holidays in Ireland, and most of those in Wexford or West Cork, there is a gentleness to the Sand Dunes and the Meadows that I am constantly trying to capture, thats part of the fun... the trying.... If I knew exactly what I was doing all the time there would be no challenge in it.