http://www.ueltzhoeffer.com/53-rank.html
http://www.artfacts.net/index.php/pageType/exhibitionInfo/exhibition/62713/lang/1
http://www.waterfordartsfestival.com/archive_04/visual_continuity.html
http://www.ul.ie/visualarts/ulac_b.html
http://www.sculptureincontext.com/2007.html
http://www.opw.ie/artinstatebuildings1995-2005.pdf
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The RHA comes back to life By BRIAN FALLON
LAST year the RHA exhibition had the feeling of an ageing, dusty waxworks; this year, it has come back to life. A new format catalogue, neat and relatively uncluttered hanging, and above all, a presentable level of talent in general, make this year's show (the 166th, incidentally) a heartening rather than a depressing experience. It may not bristle with genius, but there is an overall sense of solidity and professionalism, and even an occasional breath of novelty.
A number of invited artists give much needed variety, particular the distinguished Scottish contingent which includes Barbara Rae and Elizabeth Blackadder, both of them excellent painters. Three deceased members are commemorated - with the usual mini exhibition: Alexandra Wejcbert, John F. Kelly and Arthur Armstrong. Kelly was a respected academician of the old, school, competent in portraiture and life particularly; Armstrong was probably the last figure of the old, and much missed, Campbell Ditton nexus, who like them found most of his typical subject matter in the West of Ireland landscape.
Alexandra Wejchert, by contrast, was directly in the line of Mitteleuropa abstraction and Constructivism, a master of form without being a formalist. She was, in my opinion, a major sculptor, though her talent bloomed relatively late; and the well chosen examples of her work show how she combined Modernist austerity with Baroque sinuosity and a special quality of aspiration, expressed in her flamelike, upward writhing shapes.
The inclusion of Stephen McKenna (a commanding canvas of a lighthouse) and of Michael Warren, who exhibits an imposing and well placed sculpture called Trade Winds consisting of three erect wooden capes on a metal base, was a well judged move, since both are artists who carry genuine weight and prestige. There are two heads by Louis Le Brocquy, of W.B. Yeats and Seamus Heaney respectively (two Nobel Prizewinners!) and a large, exotically colourful, Tony O'Mally painting.
Otherwise, some of the best and most satisfying painting - comes from John Shinnors, Hilda van Stockum (who still rules the field in still life), Nancy Wynne Jones, Cherith McKinstry, Mary Lohan, Martin Gate (two ultra delicate watercolours), John Kelly, Michael O'Dea's large pictures, somewhere between Expressionism and cartoon art, flirt with vulgarity but are always lively and very much his own.
I also, for the record, noted down the names of Michael Ashur, Rosaleen Davey, Sheila Pomeroy, Veronica Bolay, Tony Carroll, Marie Carroll (a kind of cross stylistically between naive painting and early Jack Yeats), Liam Breandan De Frinse, Melita Denaro, Ann Donnelly, Denise Ferran, Terence Gayer, Tim Goulding, James Hanley, Mary Rose Binchy, Donald Teskey, Raymond Mintz, Joseph O Connor, Eamon O'Kane, Charles Brady, and Tim Goulding. Among the graphic art, Terence Gravett's disciplined professionalism is noticeable and the intricate pencil landscape by James Savage is something of a curio.
The portraits this year are rather stilted on the whole (nothing new, of course, about that!) and personally I could pick out no work that was outstanding in this area Carey Clarke is as academically efficient always, but somehow official portraiture has an inhibiting effect, both on the viewer and so it seems - on the artist. This is true both of the painted portraits and the sculpted ones, though Eamonn O'Doherty's bronze maquette for a James Connolly monument has old fashioned virtues which I did not associate with him. A possible exception to the general rigor mortis is Brian Kreydatus's odd self portrait, done in thick paint faintly reminiscent of early John Bratby.
The sculpture itself is strengthened by several new arrivals, including Maighread Tobin whose state pieces are direct and original. Michael Duhan's vocabulary is a stock one, but he uses it to unorthodox ends, and he has a very happy, slightly anarchist vein of sexual humour. Tom Fitzgerald's mildly avant garde style is an antidote to the stuffier conventional pieces, and I enjoyed the wit of Gemma Guihan's A Terrible Beauty is Born and the broader humour of Maureen Bushe's sandstone Birdbath.
As usual, much or most of the weight and solidity in this section comes from the more established figures: Melanie le Brocquy, Imogen Stuart, John Behan, Edward Delaney, John Coen. Vivienne Roche shows one of her characteristic metal "hanging" pieces, and Brian King's single bronze is one of the few convincing abstract works on view, in any medium. But there are also sculptures in various media by Eddie O'Neill, Michael Quane (in particular), Pat Ryan, Michael Verdon, which stand out of the usual rut and have that essential quirk of personality. I do not quite know in what category to put Maura Whelan's Sea Dancer in glass or Isabelle Peyrat's delicate Violette et Tristan, but they do add something different.
Irish Times April 24, 1996
Lost sheep turn up in summer art shows
On the Town: There was a flurry of excitement in
The following night, the buzz shifted to
At the Peppercanister, Makiko Nakamura from
Also there was Seán Aylward, director general of the Irish Prison Service, on his last day of the job, after five years, before his "retreat into obscurity". He was there with his wife, Agnes Aylward, director of the Ireland Newfoundland Partnership.
Artists Jackie Stanley and Campbell Bruce, chair of the Contemporary Irish Arts Society, also enjoyed both exhibitions. Bruce is currently preparing for a solo show at the
The Peppercanister's group show features work by sculptor Maureen Bushe, which was admired by watercolourist Kay Doyle. She especially loved Lost Sheep, a piece in marble and limestone, she told the artist.
Artist Mark de Freyne's work is also touring with the OPW's show Currents, and will be travelling over the next six months to the new Birr Arts Centre, the Wexford Opera Festival and the Linen Hall,
In the Hallward, participating artists enjoying the party included David King, Bernadette Madden, Chris Banahan and his wife Denise Ryan, David Dunne, Anne Cooney and Brian Palm.
The show at the Peppercanister Gallery continues until Friday, August 6th
Summer at the Hallward continues until Friday, August 27th The Irish Times July 17, 2004
Class Art
(Works by Invited Artists and The 6th Class of Scoil Ursula)
Showing Until: 6th June 2005
Opening Hours: 7days (9am -11pm)
Further Details:
Class Art: Class Act
County Sligo has a strong heritage and respected reputation within The Arts, having bred and nurtured numerous historically recognised figures and a multitude of lesser know artists, writers, musicians and craftspeople. The latest exhibition at The Waterfront Gallery is just one indication that these traditions remain as strong as ever. The show, entitled ‘Class Art’, features the notable works of local young artists from 6th Class Scoil Ursula, alongside the art of other, more accomplished and established artistes.
‘Class Art’ offers an unusual and inventive display that aims to extend the normal boundaries of the typical art exhibition, blurring the lines between novice and professional, subject and media. Defining the exhibition, gallery administrator, Anna Marie Dowdican explains that it is her intention to reflect the varied nature and interpretation of art for both young and old. “I believe there is an interesting contrast to be found in studying the art of children alongside that of adults. Some professional works have a very childlike quality in their composition, whereas the submissions by Scoil Ursula reflect that young artists can take a very professional approach.”
Amongst the featured established artists, Denis Browns quill skills prove a delicate delight, using calligraphy to express more than mere words. ‘Write in the Light of all the Languages you know the earth contains’ makes poetic art of simple brush strokes, aptly chosen verse and layers of illusion behind glass. Louise O’Boyle sculpts arched clay landscapes of blue and green, making textured molehills in the scenery of life, whilst Maureen Bushe finds no grey areas in her black and white world of little people, stone figures dancing and celebrating their two-tone existence. Other artists include: Naoime Brosnan, Brigit Beemster, Jean Clyne, Mark Cullen, Stephen Cullen, Andrew Folen, Catherine Kelly, Tony O’Dwyer, Debi O’Hehir, Niall O’Loughlin, Keith Richardson and Heidi Wicknam.
The young female artists of Scoil Ursula show their worth, with impressive and striking pieces that competently compete for the attention of viewers. The aesthetic quality and conceptual understanding of all the youth exhibits continued to astound and impress. 6th Class on show are: Emma Burke, Clodagh Coleman, Sarah Doherty, Caoimhe Feehily, Blathnaid Foley, Lisa Gordon, Laura Giblin, Laura Kelly, Roselle Mannion, Danielle McLoughlin, Joy Newton, Rebecca O’Brien, Alison O’Hara, Ciara Scmidt, Keighleigh Cawley, Laura Conlon, Natalie Evans, Heather Feeney, Sarah Fox, Roisin Kelly, Ailbhe Kiely, Linda McDonald, Jeanette Moran, Meadhbh O’Brien, Ciara O’Donoghue, Blaithin O’Hehir, Caroline Wynne.
This exhibition clearly highlights the wealth of up and coming talent within the county and lets everyone know that the future of Art in
Sculpture In Context 2005
Is opening at the National Botanic Gardens on Thursday 8th September. Continuing until Friday 28th October, it is the largest outdoor sculpture exhibition in
CHRISTMAS EXHIBITION AT THE PEPPERCANISTER GALLERY
The Peppercanister Gallery presents its annual Christmas Exhibition 2006 featuring an attractive selection of modern Irish paintings, drawings, sculpture, original prints and jewellery by Irish artists of distinction and achievement. Artists include Liam Belton, Breon O’Casey, Neil Shawcross, Camille Souter, Basil Blackshaw, Gerard Dillon, Evie Hone, Stella Steyn,
Sarah Purser, Tony O’Malley, Mainie Jellett, Mary Swanzy, Alexey Krasnovsky, Peter Collis, Robert Janz, Anne Donnelly, Brian Ballard, Albert Irvin, Louis le Brocquy, Marie-Louise Martin, Mark de Freyne, Makiko Nakamura, Graham Gingles, Lisa Ballard, Sarah Longley, Liam Roberts, Maureen Bushe, and jewellery by Duibhne Gough and Sonja Landweer. Private View Wednesday 29 November 5.30 to 7.30pm. Open for public viewing from Thursday 30 November to Friday 22 December 2006. Peppercanister Gallery,
wicklowgold.com Event Guide 2007
Sculpture In Context Awards
Sculpture in Context, the independent, artist led outdoor annual exhibition is currently on show at the National Botanic Gardens. This year sculptors from Ireland, US, UK, Netherlands, Hungary, France, Canada, Finland, and Estonia, present 122 works in a range materials including glass, resin, bronze, concrete, ceramic and steel.
This annual event is an open submission exhibition and each year a panel of selectors is invited to adjudicate the exhibition and award a number of prizes.
The Mill Cove Gallery (Castletownbere) and the Hallward Gallery Award for a work of distinction in any medium was awarded to Fiona Murphy for The Space Between. The amount of the award was €1,500 with the opportunity of a solo exhibition in 2008/2009 at the Hallward,
The Winner of the CAST Ltd 2007 Award for a work of distinction in any medium was Maureen Bushe for Spring. This award was for casting a work in Bronze to the value of €1,250.
The four Sculpture in Context Awards of €500 each for large outdoor works of distinction in any medium were awarded to: Sean Campbell for Sentinel One; Andrea Cleary for Autumn Shoes; Niall Deacon for Look Listen and Frances Lambe for Seeded. An additional award will be presented at the end of the exhibition for the most popular sculpture voted by the public.
www.Visualartists.ie September 2007