Cavan County Museum
presents ‘Human Nature’, an exhibition
featuring the work of artists
Celia Richards, Amna Kiran, Marilyn Gaffney, Freda Young, Muriel Allen, Sean Cassidy, Marie Smith and Ann McDermott
on Friday, 26 May at 7.30 pm.
New Exhibition at the County Museum, Ballyjamesduff, Co. Cavan for June, July and August will showcase the work of one Sculptor and seven visual artists. Exhibition will open on 26th May at 8pm, with Guest speaker Artist Rita Duffy, Official opening by Cllr Fergal Curtin, Chairman Cavan County Council and a wine reception.
Marie Smith is a Sculptor driven by a deep curiosity at the endless possibilities for figurative investigation and expression. Her work is an intense observation of the human body. Sculptures are portrayed truthfully with subtle anatomical detail and sensuous tactile mass.
Marie is a graduate of Carmarthenshire College of Technology & Art, later training as a mould-maker and wax worker in AB Fine Art Foundry London. In 2015 Marie decided to return to her native Cavan from Paris and brings with her the skills that she gained at the Ecole Nationale Superieure Des Beaux-Arts as well as other ateliers in the city. Marilyn Gaffney is a visual artist, educator and lacemaker. A masters graduate in Fine Art from the National College of Art and Design, her work ranges in different mediums throughout her practice, including painting, installation, drawing, collage and printmaking. Gaffney’s current work for this exhibition explores the poise of historic portraits. Focusing on mental health, life drawing and anatomy twenty odd years in the making.Celia Richard is a mixed media artist and in this body of work she uses a wide range of media from pencils on paper to oil on metal, assemblage, collage and other combined materials.
More traditional painting methods combined with drawing techniques are used in Muriel Allen’s work. She observes human interaction with the nature that surrounds us as we pass through the landscape. Originally from Sligo, Muriel is an artist in residence at The Moth Studio. Celtic prints and rural landscape paintings of people and places have been the focus of Sean Cassidy at his studio in Ballyconnell for over 35 years now and for this exhibition he creates portraits of the many characters that he has encountered over time. Amna Kiran’s work is conceptual, figurative and architectural in nature. She.has a Master's Degree in Related Arts from Pakistan.
In this exhibition Ann mcDermott concentrates on people whose lives have taken an unfortunate turn.. Ann is a Graduate from IADT Dunlaoghaire. Working mainly in oil and acrylic, Freda Young portrays people as they go about their daily lives and leave with us a trace and memory.
Exhibition opening times Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 5p.m 27th May to 24th August 2017.
Website for Exhibition http://humannaturemontage.weebly.com/
Museum. www.cavanmuseum.ie
About the Artist's
Amna Kiran
Amna's paintings are a travelogue, or, as the artist describes them, ‘my fellow traveller’, capturing images of her journey from her native Pakistan to her adopted home of Ireland.
Kiran describes the work as ‘mostly conceptual, figurative and architectural in nature. I like to paint what I feel and want to express, influenced by the circumstance around me. Colour is a very important part of my paintings and my work is influenced by my rich cultural background.’
With a Masters Degree in Related Arts from the University of Punjab in Pakistan, Kiran has lived in Cavan for eight years. During that time she has worked at The Moth Studio and participated in group shows as part of Rianta during Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann. She is also a member of Solas Art Gallery, Ballinamore, where she has exhibited.
Celia Richard
Celia Richard is French and has been living in and around Shercock, Co Cavan since 1998. As well as exhibiting around Ireland, France and the UK, she teaches art, craft and yoga in the community and in healthcare settings. Largely self-taught, she studied Sciences of the environment and worked for a while in river conservation in Provence.
In 2010 she took part in an international art project concerned with boundaries and observation with Cavan Arts Office, spearheaded by Canadian artist S.G. Borda that showed in Leitrim Sculpture Centre, Bluewall Gallery and at the Cavan Fleadh.
She took part in a life painting showcase project with Mick O’Dea RHA and regularly exhibits in Solas Gallery, Ballinamore Co Leitrim.
She consistently explores the art of emotional hygiene with a view to sharing her discoveries through exhibitions and workshops.
As Celia tinkers and re-frames under-appreciated things of purpose cheek to jowl with old rubbish, worships objects of reverence, discarded bits of paper, clouds (or any other permutation), context becomes all important.
Pitching sacred against mundane and delighting in absurdity, Celia nudges us to question why we keep, why we discard – what we really value. Like many who have experienced trauma, decision-making is a problem: she’s definitely unsure and is feverishly rummaging for answers in her sometimes disturbing accumulation of stuff, all the time looking heavenwards for solace.
Marilyn Gaffney
Marilyn Gaffney holds a Masters from the National College of Art and Design. She received the D.O. Sullivan Medal Award in 2009 and graduated with a First Class Honours Degree in 2010 from Sligo IT.
She is the recipient of the John O'Leary Award (2010) which enabled her to pursue residencies abroad, to which she has created a network of artists groups.
Gaffney is the founder and curator of a travelling exhibition titled ‘Landscape and Memory’ with 22 international artists work from networks she created while undertaking the John O’Leary Award. This much anticipated exhibition took place in Ireland, Iran and Canada; with other international venues pending shows.
Gaffney is an art educator and lacemaker.
She is a recipient of the Bullock Lane Residency (2015) from Cavan County Council Arts Office and Cavan Arts Awards (2016/17).
Her work ranges in different mediums throughout her practice, including painting, installation, drawing, collage and printmaking.
Gaffney's current work for this exhibition explores the poise of historic portraits. Creating fine detailed portraits from a modern sitter that captures the essence of the Renaissance. Historic gold framing features as part of the artwork as it consummates the work as an object. Landscape is apparent within the portraits.
Freda Young
The Artwork of Freda Young is a reflection of the area in which she lives. Visions of the mountains, waterways, wildflowers and landscapes often with human presence, adorn her canvases. Drawing with oil painting would be the primary medium used. Trips into the landscape are often undertaken in all weathers but she feels the sunny day provides the best version of the chosen scene, however. Sketches and notebooks full of colour notes are compiled and with this information bigger works are created later. Whenever time permits, Freda likes to attend life drawing sessions to upskill on drawing.
Artist has attended Professional Workshops whenever the opportunity has presented itself. She likes to attend exhibitions and also read about art and artists and has undertaken some volunteering work in the past. Freda is a frequent exhibitor in the Cavan and Leitrim Area.
Sean Cassidy
Working in acrylic and watercolour, artist Sean Cassidy often uses Celtic imagery to express his ideas in his distinctive style. Children, music and the landscape of west Cavan are other sources of inspiration. The self-taught painter has exhibited in Ireland, New York and Finland and his work is in many private collections worldwide. He sells through his studio in Ballyconnell and in selected art galleries.
Marie Smith
Marie Smith is a figurative artist who finds inspiration working directly from life to create drawings and sculptures in bronze. Marie's work is an exploration of the fascinating machine of bone, muscle and flesh that is the human body. For her there is no greater pleasure than working with a model, be it drawing or sculpting directly from life. She enjoys the challenge of portraying the body in different poses, working with models of all ages and body shape to best suit a theme or to show interesting forms, musculature and expression.
Marie comes from a strong technical background, having spent many years working in bronze foundries and assisting artists in Ireland and the UK. In 2010, she went to Paris to concentrate on her own figurative work. During her time in Paris, Marie studied at the Ecole Nationale Superior des Beaux-Arts as well as spending countless hours drawing at the Louvre or sculpting at ateliers in the city. Marie returned to Ireland in 2015 with a large body of work, both sculptures in bronze and works on paper.