
VAI Clinic 27 November
Aileen Barry was here to talk to artists from all over the county who were interested in the Visual Artists Ireland has to offer artists.
Saturday night:
Enchanting rhythms of
combined with sweet, harmonious melodies sung in
Brazilian Portuguese -A ray of tropical bliss
to your Irish Winter!
Canto Brasil
Saturday 22nd November
8pm-10pm
10€ or 8€ concession
Contact: pagodeiras@yahoogroups.com
http://www.myspace.com/cantabrasilpagode
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Sunday 3.30pm:
-Artist talk and reception-
Photographer
Anne McMahon
Sunday, 23 November at 3.30pm
Afternoon tea and discussion with the artist at the Courthouse gallery, Ennistymon.
All welcome. Free.
See blog: ennistymoncourthousegallery.blogspot.com
Pre-book please with the Courthouse Gallery- 065 7071630 or email:
"Can’t Stop the Rock"
An exhibition of paintings by
Cóilín Rush.
at 8pm on Thursday evening,
9th October
Exhibition runs until 30th October
**Gallery co-ordinator Maria Kerin will give a short talk at Ten Past Three on Tuesdays during the exhibition - all the family are welcome, especially the children.
Artist statement:
“‘I am he who can play many games!’ That is the essence of the happy child….”- The Dice Man.
I dislike themes. Too often an exhibition statement begins with-‘The single unifying theme of this exhibition of works is…..’.Or better again in the case of a call to Artists- ‘This is a an open submission call for Artworks and the theme is….’. An Artist who hears that call can now take a work and bend its meaning and pervert it’s destiny until it meets the proposed theme. The theme which has been set is a challenge. It is an obstacle. How can an Artist triumph over it? In this way the theme is the engine of creativity! Possibly, but perhaps not. I think themes sometimes prevent us from seeing the work that Artist’s do when left alone.
I make paintings based on photographs of images that appeal to me. The selection of images is not altogether arbitrary. The images are usually from feature films that I appreciate the aesthetic of. I use the excess paint left at the end of some rendering to begin abstract works which I like to think then in turn inform the qualities of my figurative works and I occasionally unsuccessfully try to find the painting that works as both. I take other photographs from life, often portraits of friends. I get commissioned to do other things. I get ideas about flow mediums and how they might react with one another and so I take a small canvas and make an experiment and then so as not to waste it I make a painting of it. This exhibition is filled with all of these things.
I have a short attention span. I have to break up the pursuit of one idea with interjections of the meaningless. If I think- ‘This work deals with issues of…..’I have to concede that, without a theme, it does not. It is dumb. It will not speak to you. Do you hear me? If you do, you have failed to observe things as they really are. As such the theme of this show is a lack of themes. Silly me! In this way the theme of this exhibition is theme.
Information on the Courthouse Studios and Gallery:
Ennistymon Courthouse Studios and Gallery, Parliament Street, Ennistymon, was officially opened by Sile de Valera, T.D. on Friday 30th March 2007.
Five artists studios, a sound recording studio and an art gallery are based in the newly renovated building.
Development of the facility has been a labour of love for the Old Ennistymon Society, a totally voluntary organisation, which has been working since 1992 to ensure that the old Courthouse building in Ennistymon would be preserved and developed as a true community resource. The society decided to develop the building as an arts facility, and in 1997 offered the building to a group of artists in the locality on a five-year lease at a peppercorn rent. This group, consisting of Deirdre O’Mahony, Fiona Woods, Jackie Askew and Veronica Nicholson, subsequently formed itself as the North Clare Artists Group and sought and received funding from the Arts Council under the Studios Conversion Scheme to create studio spaces for 5 artists in the building.
As this leasehold period was drawing to a close, the Old Ennistymon Society sought access funding from the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the
Today the Courthouse is a hive of activity. An international film maker, a puppeteer, a watercolour artist, a ceramics artist, a landscape artist and a performance artist have taken up residence in the studios, following an open competitive interview process.
Some notable exhibitions have taken place in the gallery space, including those curated by
Courthouse Gallery, Ennistymon
September 12- October 4
Clare – Voyance
Artist Sheena Meagher collects wordscapes and adds her own visions of the county.
This is a body of work focusing on the power of place and memories relating to
Over one hundred people contributed powerful wordscapes that capture the musicality of the Clare voice, rich literary and musical traditions, the influences of landscape on people, and a vibrant sense of community. These, together with the original paintings and installations by the artist combine to evoke the rich tapestry of life found in Co. Clare.
Artists Statement;
As I have been coming to Lahinch since I was a small child, Co. Clare represented freedom and holidays. During these long, easy days anything could happen, any idea could occur to me. My paintings and installations celebrate particular moments from times enjoyed in Clare. My hope is that visitors to this exhibition will respond to my work and to the collected wordscapes by recalling their own times of freedom and inspiration.
About the Artist
Sheena Meagher worked as an architect in
She continues to concern herself with the built and the natural environment; sense of place, atmosphere, movement and energy. Sheena now works and lives at the edge of the
Courthouse Gallery, Parliament Street, Ennistymon, Co. Clare
Opened Tuesday to Saturday, 12 to 5pm. 065 7071630 or email:
“Solitary Company”
Mona Hynes, Patsy Ricks and Mary Fahy
“Solitary Company” is the title of the exhibition by three artists from the North Clare area in the Courthouse Gallery, Ennistymon this August.
Inspired by the transient local landscape, local artists
Mona Hynes, Patsy Ricks and Mary Fahy
have created a diverse show, highlighting each of their unique expression through the medium of paint. “Solitary Company” captures the energy and light of North Clare and this is a wonderful opportunity to re-visit your local area through the eyes and creativity of another. They have made visible interepretations of the landscape that we pass by everyday, noting subtle changes and celebrating all that is so intriguing in our local environment.
Through multiple layers of paint
Being an artist from the Burren, Mona Hynes expresses her connection to it through paintings that are in a fluid expressive style and deal with an emotional and imaginative response to this beautiful and often desolate landscape. Mona Hynes allows the paint the freedom to form an initial image by dropping and pouring it onto the canvas and then she paints over this. She never knows what the final piece will look like. For Mona Hynes this process reflects the unique and mysterious quality of the Burren.
Patsy Ricks, an artist based in the Courthouse Studios, engages with everyday scenes in Ennistymon and Lahinch such as dilapidated buildings, old stone walls, rust and even the dogs in the street catch her eye. She feels it is necessary to record, through the medium of watercolour, the demise of buildings and their surroundings in the local area. Patsy Ricks work is her chronicle of places fast disappearing .
“Solitary Company”,Paintings by Mona Hynes, Patsy Ricks and Mary Fahy was opened by Councillor Flan Garvey on Thursday 7th August 2008 at 8.00pm.
Exhibition runs until Saturday 30th August.
Open: Tue to Sat 12.00 - 5.00pm.Ph: 065 7071630 Email: