Cork woman: I went to art college, aged 59 and fulfilled my life-long dream

WHEN Catherine Dorney’s husband, Noel, became ill, she wanted to defer from her four-year Fine Arts course at the Crawford College of Art and Design.

She had gone back to college as a mature student at the age of 59.

“Noel passed away during my second year in college,” says Catherine.

“He was one of the good ones. When he got sick, I wanted to defer, he said no way, that I needed something to keep me going. After being diagnosed with cancer of the bile duct, he lasted 22 months.”

Catherine, who has three grandchildren, lasted the pace as a mature student and she is due to graduate from the Crawford College of Art and Design in August.

“I was interested in art ever since I was a tiny child,” she says.

“There were seven of us in the family and our dad used to take us out around the harbour, looking at boats, to give mum a break.

“We’d go to the Port of Cork and then to Ringaskiddy. If it was raining, we’d go to the Crawford Art Gallery. I used to pray for rain!”

Catherine, a fine art specialist, has another claim to fame.

“When I was six or seven, there was a photo of me and my brother William taken on the stairs of the Crawford Gallery that appeared in the Evening Echo.”

Little did she know that one day she would be a Fine Arts student at the Crawford College of Art and Design.

It was always my dream to study art.

When one door closes, another door opens.

“I got laid off in my job,Dennehy Signs in Cork,” she says.

“The company had cut back on staff the year before.”

It was time to follow her dream.

“I signed up for painting classes at Coláiste Stiofáin Naofa, (CSN) in Ballyphehane for two years, 2014-2015,” says Catherine.

“For anyone out of work, they have fabulous classes there. I signed up and did level 5 and 6. It was a brilliant course and I built up a very good portfolio there. I had to find something, and I was at the stage where I had enough to pay the bills so I could follow my dream.”

Catherine had a natural flair for art. Where did her talent come from?

“My grandmother, also called Catherine, died age 33,” she says.

“She was very artistic, I believe. And my grandad, Thomas, was good at drawing.”

Catherine got into the creative groove.

“I loved college where there were a great bunch of students. In Stiofáin Naofa, about one third of students were mature students.

“I painted at home as well,” she adds.

What did she paint?

“I painted landscapes and seascapes,” says Catherine.

“I loved doing art and spent a good amount of time at it. College was like another family. I made friends for life.

“I found that painting was a great escape. Noel had encouraged me to follow it up. In first class in Crawford there were a good amount of mature students also.

“I was in second year when Noel died. My lecturer in college was very supportive.”

Catherine exhibited six pieces of art in her end of year graduation exhibition recently.

“I submitted three oil paintings and three acrylic paintings,” says Catherine.

“My work is painted in oil, acrylic and mixed mediums, with an awareness of the scarcity of artist materials in these current times. The work for this exhibition was a series of paintings about water, the sea and reflections in the water. It is about what water, creates, rain, rivers, lakes, clouds and in particular the sea.

“My photographs use observation of place for an abstract expressionistic response to the environment. I find inspiration in the fluidity and changeable nature of water.

Without water, we cannot exist, and the ebb and flow of the tides are mirrored in our life cycle.

Would Catherine encourage people to go back to college?

“If you’re on your own and not working, college can be a great outlet, studying a subject that you’re interested in,” she says.

“It is something to aim for and it gives you good structure and a chance to make new friends. There are loads of great courses to choose from if you have a grá for anything. UCC have a great creative writing course and they run courses on History and Heritage and Folklore. There is no reason to sit at home doing nothing. I would highly recommend going back to college.

“You don’t have to go to college for four years, you can do a diploma course. It will keep you going. There is no point staying at home crying into your tea.”

Did Catherine mind the commute from Castlemartyr to Cork every day?

“I didn’t mind the drive,” she insists.

“I parked in the Q car-park or in St Al’s nearby.”

Catherine is proud to call herself a graduate of the Crawford College of Art and Design.

“We all got a copy of the graduation catalogue which features each student,” says Catherine.

“Noel would be very proud. He had an appreciation of my art before I did. He gave me the confidence to pursue it.”

Catherine got to travel as a mature student.

“Our class travelled to Venice in our second year, and we saw the fabulous art and architecture at the Biennale.”

Some of Catherine’s art went towards a good cause.

“My cousin Clare was holding a blind sale at her tennis club for the local hospital and the homeless,” says Catherine.

“I had some pieces of work lying around and I donated two pieces of art that were framed. They fetched €475 and that gave me a boost for doing good.”

What next for Catherine, who doesn’t let the grass grow under her feet?

“Many people who graduate from the Crawford College of Art and Design go on to study Art Therapy,” she says.

I’d like to go to an artist residence or an artist retreat for one or two weeks, they are all over the world.

The world is Catherine’s oyster.