Group's posts with tag: irish art
|  | "Roxanne Steed said:
Home schooling my daughters encouraged me to renew my childhood love of art. "Mom, teach us to draw" became the motivation to rededicate myself to drawing and painting. As a Navy wife for over twenty years, I have been able to live in some of the most beautiful towns on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts as well as travel to Hawaii, Singapore, Italy, and France. I've pursued my formal art education along the way at Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts in Old Lyme, CT; The Art League School in Alexandria, VA; and Watts Atelier in Encinitas, CA.
My art is about seeing the affect that light (or lack of it) has on color. Light is what allows us to see the beauty that surrounds us everyday. The works of the American Impressionists have had a great influence on my work, particularly those of New England and California. Figurative works by William Merritt Chase and Childe Hassam as well as landscapes by William Wendt and Granville Redmond have fueled my imagination.
There is nothing quite so satisfying as painting from life. The object is to capture a subject before any noticeable changes occur in it. There are effects painters achieve with color that can change one's mood or state of mind. The elusive nature of peacefulness and well-being that I'm seeking to capture is created by a painting with good color harmony. I seek these things through my paintings because I can't live without it." |
| | William Redmond was born in Edenderry, Co. Offaly in 1969. He is a self-taught artist
specialising in acrylics. William has a great interest in nature and the effect light plays on various landscapes throughout Ireland.
William’s choice of palette is definitely the source of his unique individuality. He has created such a distinctive selection of tone and colour that, once encountered, his work is forever, instantly recognisable. His palette bears no resemblance to that of a typical landscape painter. We see in his paintings, a sea of raw primaries and secondary colours dancing vibrantly, their intensity lightly tamed by the artist’s instinctive grasp of the laws of colour. He has mastered the balancing of complimentary colours perfectly, his studies of yellows and blues, greens and reds, all contain a harmonic balance, that sharply define the colourful vibrancy of what it is he is trying to portray. His knowledge is matched only by his bravery in experimentation. He often applies raw primary colours, a dash of pure yellow sometimes mixed only with white works ingeniously to create the effect of scorching, pleasant sunlight, these laid flat beside his cool violets create a striking sense of contrast which is visually captivating.
William’s exploration of colour is never ending and his palette seems to change with the seasons and weather. The autumn brings an introduction of deeper oranges and purples, often mixing both, while still using his familiar primaries but never getting tied down to the traditional, more earthy landscapes palette. The spring sees a warmer feel to his paintings, more greens with less whites, often a daring dash of red or pink. His dynamic explorations means simply that they will be forever changing and developing, a tireless evolutions of colour light and form.
William’s collection includes studies of St Stephen’s Green Park, capturing the light and atmosphere to the seasons. His Summer Fields series are of areas he has visited during his travels around the Country. Themes of the bog-land are also strongly depicted reflecting the area in which the artist lived
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| | Margaret Kennedy was born in Dublin and educated at Tallaght and Crumlin National Schools. From an early age she had a great love of horses and after leaving school at sixteen she joined Iris Kellett's riding establishment to train as a riding instructor.
Margaret has extensive experience working with racehorses, hunters, show-jumpers, eventers, polo ponies, mares, foals and in riding schools. Having hunted with the Kildare, South County and Ward Union hunts she went on to have many successes in show-jumping and dressage at riding club level.
Due to a riding accident Margaret took up painting and has since achieved a very high standard of representation. She uses fine brush strokes and works with a confident use of colour, to achieve the richness and strength needed to portray the horses and riders who form her subject matter. Her love and knowledge of this subject allows her to confidently execute representations of many famous horses and in consequently she has become one of Ireland's most sought after equestrian artists.
Margaret Kennedy's paintings are in private collections throughout the world and have been reproduced as greeting cards and limited edition prints.
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| | Born in Dublin in 1944, Norman graduated from the National College of Art and Design in the early 60’s. While there he learned to create canvases using the traditional method which involves sketching up to 50 studies in pencil and preparing mixed media studies before finalising fully conceived canvases in both acrylic and oil mediums.
Norman is considered to be one of Ireland’s most innovative and interesting Artists. There is a softness and romantic feel throughout his work. He achieves the painterly style of the French Impressionists and the strength of composition awarded to the Dutch. Norman’s paintings vibrate with energy due to the combination of strength of his style, technique and content.
Since his Dublin debut in 1975, Norman has captured the attention of many art collectors and Galleries alike. Among his extensive list of followers are: Charles J Haughey, An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, actor Patrick Bergan, Nobel Peace Prize-winner. Sir John Hume
Norman is an accomplished illustrator, having produced background paintings for the Film’s, All Dogs go to Heaven II and The Pebble and the Penguin for Don Bluth Studio’s. He also produced work for Fred Wolfe Films.
For six years Norman was commissioned by the Irish Press to produce the Millennicus cartoon strip. He has also completed set designs for the Gate and Tivoli Theatres and he has published two books of cartoons.
In the spring of 1998 an exhibition was opened in the General Post Office, Dublin, displaying ten large oil paintings by Norman. These paintings depict the events of the Easter Rising in 1916. Norman spent two years in the research, planning and development of this collection. He believes that no other artist has attempted to illustrate the events of Easter Week 1916. This exhibition is on permanent view at the General Post Office.
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| | Lucy McKenna
"My name is Lucy McKenna and I have just completed my Joint Degree in Textiles and History of Art in NCAD, Dublin. I have been a practicing artist for the past 8 years but have always been interested in art since I was a child. I won awards in my school days such as ASTI and Texaco Awards. I am a member of SIPTU as Trainee Costume design, and have worked in this area. I was also runner up in Down Opera Festival costume design competition 2005. I have held annual exhibitions in Kilkenny Arts Festival and Carlow Eigse Festival for the past 8 years, and these have been very successful. I have completed commissions for President Mary McAleese, the Irish Defence Forces, Kilkenny Rape Crisis Centre, Talbot Hotel- Carlow, and Manor West Hotel- Tralee to name a few.
I am often commissioned for detailed drawings of buildings or portraits from photographs, but my oil pastels are also very popular. For more unusual pieces people have liked my textile art or collages.
I love depth and a mixture of materials, experimenting with techniques and creating a new way of working. I like to push the boundaries of how a piece looks. I find the most expressive method of working for me is mixed media and at times this can get very constructive and textural. The environment around me often influences my work, especially the Irish countryside and what it contains.
My most recent pieces have been about experimenting with materials, which has always characterised my work. In these I mixed acrylics with handmade papers, threads, and sand among others. Texture, form and colour are as important as each other in these paintings, which were inspired by my surroundings, especially nature. Both the countryside and man-made objects have found their way into my paintings. Sometimes they feature as parts and at other times one element takes over. I try to capture the qualities of my environment as I see it, its moods and personality. The result is a contrasting mix of softness, precision, and spontaneity. I try to make my paintings particularly energetic and colourful.
I am trained in design, but I find work empty without a concept behind it. I also feel that an image needs a strong structure with an appealing visual balance, and experimentation is, for me, a key element. How colours and shapes interact with each other in an image is as essential as what these shapes and colours stand for individually. For me, colours have very particular meanings. The tension between all elements in a painting is what gives it its energy. Combining materials creates new qualities for me to work with and lets the painting take on a life of its own."
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| | Stephen Walsh was born 26th December 1968; he lives and works in Dublin. Fellow artist Brian Maguire introduced him to painting.
"The term disability is a construct, i.e. it is a term made by those who are able, to define those who are other. Stephen Walsh began to study painting, using it as a means of expression, directly and using metaphor. I envied his courage in this self-actualisation. In some of his canvases the sexually aroused figures search for the other".
-Brian Maguire
Stephen held his first solo-exhibition at the Point Depot in 1992, followed in 1993 by a major exhibition at the Guinness Hop Store which brought him a great deal of critical attention and success. Stephen participated in the seminal touring exhibition, ‘Celebrating Difference’, organised by the City Arts Centre and also Exhibited at the Edinburgh Festival in 1994. He had a residency in Temple Bar Studios during ’95 and ’96 where he regularly showed works in-group exhibitions. His work is represented in corporate and private collections in Ireland, including the Irish Museum of Modern Art.
Rastafarian spirituality is the springboard for Stephen Walsh’s highly individual meditations on religious experience, pain and redemption and much of his work refers specifically to the writing and music of reggae superstar Bob Marley. Stephen has spent time in Jamaica most of his work was made over there, some in the downtown areas of Kingston and some near Ocho Rios on the north coast he hopes to one day return.
-Jamaica is my spiritual home. Jamaica is where I belong. JAH-maica. The tree painting is growth, my growth the growth of a child in its mother’s belly, the miracle of the seed. The mother and child are pure love. Unity. The child is the joy of creation. ~
Stephen Walsh
Exhibitions:
1998 Dec. Bank of Ireland Arts Centre, Dublin, solo exhibition.
1996 Nov. The Child (painting) was chosen as a backdrop for a concert performance by the Irish Chamber Orchestra, at the National Concert Hall.
1995/1996 Worked in temple Bar studios and participated in a group show of artists at the Temple Bar Gallery.
1994 Celebrating Difference a touring exhibition organised by the City Arts Group.
1993 Exhibited as part of the Edinburgh Festival.
1993 Nov. Guinness Hop Store, one man show, opened by the then American ambassador to Ireland, Ms. Jean Kennedy-Smith.
1992Nov. Point Depot, first solo exhibition.
1991 & 1992 Taught to paint by the artist, Brian Maguire over a period of 18 months.
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| | Maire Flanagan was born in Co. Mayo but has lived in Dublin most of her life. She had an interest in art throughout her school years and was awarded a scholarship to the National College of Art & Design. She graduated with a B.A. (Hons) Degree from University College Galway and a Froebel Diploma from Sion Hill, Blackrock.
Maire's preferred medium is watercolour. Her palette is subtle and soft, reflecting the changing moods of the Irish landscape. She returns frequently to her native County Mayo, in the west of Ireland and this wild, rugged landscape features in many of her paintings.
Maire's watercolours are to be found in collections worldwide including Canada, the United States, Australia, Europe, Africa and Japan.
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| | STEPHEN CULLEN was born in Dublin in 1959 and has been exhibiting professionally since 1982. He has rapidly become one of Irelands best known artists. Stephen exhibits extensively throughout Ireland and has also exhibited across Europe, in Strasbourg, Luxembourg and recently in London. On occasion Stephen has been invited to exhibit at the international EIGSE exhibition and also at the RHA annual exhibition in Dublin.
Using a palette knife, Stephen paints predominantly with oils on canvas. The use of vivid colours plays a strong part in creating his compositions. His knife work is bold and rapid, creating a fabulously lively approach throughout his paintings. While these strokes are definite, they are not necessarily controlled. The combination of both colours and application of paint evokes a strong sense of motion and he uses the canvas as a colour, incorporating it within the painting.
Stephen expertly retains the figurative element in his work, while still allowing a spontaneous freedom of expression. Ultimately it is difficult to categorise Stephens's work because of his clever combination of various styles. None the less the overall effect tends to lean towards Fauvism.
Unarguably Stephen has become one of Irelands most sought after artists. His works can be found in several private collections, not only across Ireland, but world-wide.
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| | Tom Cullen was born in Donnybrook, Dublin in 1934. His father was a butcher whose family ran a butchering business in the village for generations. He was educated in Synge Street Christian Brothers School.
Tom's natural talent for drawing was noticed at an early age by his art teacher who encouraged him to take up painting professionally. However, on leaving school he entered the family business and his painting regrettably played second fiddle. 1973 brought a devastating bank strike in Ireland and, like so many other family businesses, the Cullen's family butchers went into liquidation. It was then that Tom took up painting professionally.
With the tutoring of his artist friends and his own natural flair he soon became one of Dublin's leading artists. He shared his first solo exhibition with Robert Ballagh and had many successful solo exhibitions throughout his long career. These included: The Graphics Gallery, Stephens Green; Man of Aran, Aran Quay; Ashling Gallery, Madison Avenue, New York.
Tom lectured in The National College of Art and Design, Thomas Street, Dublin and taught art in Blackrock College. He spent six years painting on the continent, primarily in Austria, Bavaria and Switzerland.
Tom developed a distinctive style over the years. Known primarily for his scenes of vanishing Dublin, his application of paints is bold and knowing, adding strength and character to the work. Tom used a palette knife technique and painted with a range of harmonious colour tones. The resultant, unique style can only be accredited to the artist himself.
Tom sadly passed away after a short illness in May, 2001 at the age of 66. With this event a deep sadness touched the world of Irish art. Tom's passing marked the end of an era as he took with him his ingenious style and scenes of Dublin in the "rare old times". As old Dublin, as it was once known, fades rapidly into dear memories, so too does our friend Tom. May these memories of this great artist and his paintings live forever.
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| | Niall Campion was born in Dublin in 1956. He studied Fine Art at Dun Laoghaire College of Art, graduating in 1979 with a Diploma in Fine Art & Painting.
Niall taught at Ballyfermot Vocational School from 1981 to 1983 and is currently teaching at MacDara's Community College, Templeogue.
Niall has exhibited his paintings at many group exhibitions in the past including Merrion Square, St. Stephen's Green, Powerscourt Townhouse Centre, the Leixlip Amenities Group Show and at the Office Of Public Works Exhibition in Kilmainham Goal.
Niall's commissions throughout the years encompass works for individuals, businesses and societies. One such commission was a series of pen and ink drawings for a book entitled "The Grand Canal, Inchicore and Kilmainham", for the Office of Public Works in 1991.
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| | June Butler
"My name is June Butler. I was born in 1962 in Dublin, Ireland. I've always been passionate about painting and my memories of my childhood are of constantly painting and drawing since I first learned how to mix colours. I entered numerous art competitions as a child, Texaco Children's art competition being the main one. I won the overall top prize in the Texaco competition two years in a row when I was 15 and 16 - I was the first overall in 40,000 entrants. Since then, as I've shown my work, it has been mainly in joint exhibitions with one solo show in a leading art gallery in Dublin in 1994. However, for the most part, I usually paint to commission and I've been lucky enough to sell everything I've ever painted. I used to paint equestrian portraits and all of the paintings done at this time were all sold on commission.
I have never had any real formal training but I completed a 1 year part-time visual art diploma in Dun Laoghaire Art College in Dublin several years ago - I felt that the best way to understand drawing and painting was to go back to the beginning and life drawing was the key - Since then I have completed several life drawing courses and of course, I am completely passionate about colour. I love the fact that people can interpret different things from my paintings and I like using everyday recognisable shapes in the paintings but combining them with abstract images. I also love the image of realism combined with abstract components and I try to see humour in all my paintings - I've always maintained that if my paintings make people smile or laugh, then I feel I've achieved something. I'm a firm believer in making art accessible to absolutely everyone and I hope people get a sense of communication from my paintings.
I took some time out for a few years to critically evaluate my life and painting was something I always knew I'd come back to when the time was right. I'm entering the final year in a degree in Psychology but I've also started painting again and I find that I've become totally immersed in images of colour and creation - the hiatus has made me more creative. Maturity has possibly helped as well!!"
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| | Mark Baker is a rising Irish artist from Dublin. At the young age of 22 Mark has emerged as one of the most prominent portrait artists in Ireland. He has been painting and sketching since he was a child. His talent was recognised early on, when at just 5 years old he won an art competition to have one of his paintings displayed in the National Art Gallery in Dublin. Since he began to draw and paint Mark has focussed on producing high quality detailed portraits. His paintings are exhibited around Ireland and many of these paintings are snapped up before they are on view to the public.
Mark has an honours BA Degree in Arts from University College Dublin. He first exhibited his work in the Trinity Gallery in February 2006 for six months. Mark was selected as their artist of the month on several occasions, with his work selling out completely. From August 2006 to present Mark has been exhibiting his work in The Green Gallery, St. Stephens Green. Within five months Mark has sold almost all his paintings submitted to the gallery and received many commissions through the gallery and personally. Mark works extremely hard to keep up with the demand for his work. He feels extremely lucky to be so successful at such a young age.
Mark’s work is instantly recognisable by his extremely detailed style of painting, his unique mode of expression within his portrait paintings, and likeness of his subject. Mark's exhibited works are predominantly from his own life’s passions, music, sport and film and the interesting personalities within these areas. So far his work can be categorised in three styles (‘Live’, ‘In III’, ‘In Black’), which have all proved equally popular among art collectors. Bono, Colin Farrell, Phil Lynott, Christy Moore, Luke Kelly, Sinead O’Connor, David Bowie, Shane MacGowan, and Johnny Cash are among the numerous subjects that Mark has painted. A huge fan of U2 from an early age, he is lucky enough to have some of his works signed by both Bono and The Edge.
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