Artist Statement
We live in a stream of continuing creation making art is a way of enquiring into the world in front of us. Image-making helps us to examine what it is like to be in this place, in this condition, at this time. Art allows us to explore a vision of a reality beyond the world of appearance. I’m drawn to exploring the area between conscious and unconscious, the borderland state of being between dream and waking. Described by C.G. Jung as the collective unconscious. It is a place where images predominate and myth and legend reign.
Current Work
My current work is a visual examination of wetlands as a mystical, liminal space that connects the physical and spiritual realms.
Since times immemorial wetlands have been considered as mysterious and other wordily places. In Celtic mythology, they were considered to be the dwelling places of gods and spirits. They were also understood to be the gateways to the underworld, places of transition where souls could pass on to the afterlife and where the living could communicate with the dead.
The waterlogged environment of the wetlands with their accumulated layers of peat, can be seen as a metaphorical representation of the depths of the unconscious mind. Just as the wetlands conceals hidden layers beneath the surface, the unconscious mind holds repressed thoughts, memories, and emotions that are not immediately accessible to conscious awareness. Standing on the marshy ground at night it is not difficult to understand why our ancestors recognised their unique and powerful qualities both as natural wonders and portals to the supernatural. In the darkness of the night standing there, the reflection of the stars on the dark water of the bog make it difficult to resist the illusion that we are floating above the soggy ground out into space. The wetlands have become entwined with Irish folklore, with tales of the Banshee and püca emerging from them.
Professional Development
B.A. (First Class Honours) 2008
BTEC (Professional Development in Printmaking) 2010
M.A. (with Distinction) 2012
PhD. (Fine Art) 2017
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at Glyndwr University School of Art. 2017-2019
C.V.
Solo Exhibitions
2018
July – September ‘Research into the Art of Corrosion’ Oriel Sychart Gallery
2017
September – November ‘Alchemy of Corrosion’ Edition Contemporary Arts Liverpool
Invited Artist and Collaborative Exhibitions
2023
18 May – 10 June Cork Printmakers Lavit Gallery Cork
13 May – through 2023. ‘Echos Archives’ A traveling Exhibition Opening at Kilcock Fine Art Gallery.
2022
July 2022 ‘34th International Hopkins Festival’ Invited to show work in this years festival at Newbridge College Theatre.
2021
‘Darkness and Light’ evolved as a two year long collaborative project focusing on the complex fragility of the Earth. The project culminated in an exhibition July – August 2021 at The Oriel Bleddfa in Mid-Wales.
June – July ‘Oidhreacht Heritage’ Kilcock Art Gallery Art Gallery, Kilcock Co. Kildare.
June – ‘Cork Printmakers 30th. Anniversary’ – Lavit Gallery
August – Inflorescence – Nano Nagel Place
2020
Feb – March: Leinster Print Studio Responds to Seamus Heaney, Bessano Italy
2018
Leinster Printmaking Studio 20th. Anniversary touring exhibition:
Invited Artist
- Lexicon, Dún Laoghaire, 6th August – 30th September 2019
- Ballycroy National Park 15th May – 30th June 2019
- An Táin Arts Centre, Dundalk, 10th Jan – 16th Feb 2019
- Kilcock Art Gallery, 17th November – 8th December 2018
- Inniscarra Gallery, Rathcoole, 21st October – 3rd November 2018
Sold to the OPW from this Exhibition and another to Louth Co Council
2017
‘Carbon Meets Silicon’ 2017 Curated by Susan Liggett and Mike Corcoran on the theme art and science collaborations and selected 17 artists from a highly competitive open call.
The exhibition asked questions such as: How is science changing the arts? What can artists and scientists achieve together which they cannot achieve alone? Where does science end and art begin?
I was Invited to present a paper, and exhibit work including, sculpture, drawings, and prints to provide evidence of the value of collaborative work engaging science, technology, and the arts. 15th September to 8th.December 2017.