Artist Statement

The Work: 
My formative experiences in rural North Cork, my exposure to Early Christian and Celtic Iconography, to Universal Symbols, to Buddhist teachings and my lived experience are all embedded in the art I now create. I have always felt strongly connected to the elemental transient world of Nature which, for me also opens a portal to the invisible. Making art that engages with and includes these mysterious and energetic realms is what excites me and my creative route is through an abstract visual language.

This visual language develops in my paintings as a dialogue between the refined and expressive paint and the subtle encasing surface in which the painting is embedded. At first glance, this delicate outer casing may appear empty and unimportant yet, it essentially animates the painting as this surface refers to both an organic transience or elemental flow which, alongside, encounters the organising boundaries of human interventions.  The tactile quality of each surface reflects a mysterious path yet is also a solid point from which I and the viewer can experience the deeper and more expansive relational reality the works point towards. 

Short Biography: 
I initially worked as an educator and following my fine art degree I spent some time in arts administration during which I also exhibited my art in solo and invited exhibitions throughout Ireland.  For the last fifteen years I have immersed myself full-time as a community artist in both Ireland and the U.K.  I now focus fully on making art and I am enjoying developing a new body of work for a solo exhibition.  For this, I will also develop an online presence.  My studio space is open to visitors who I welcome with great pleasure.  Art is to be openly shared – this is why we make it.