A group of West Cork artists celebrate life through art in new exhibition

A GROUP of eight artists from Kinsale and West Cork have come together to exhibit their artwork at The Grainstore in Ballymaloe until August 7.

The theme of the exhibition is ‘Artists Celebrating Life’.

All eight artists will be present as Artist in Residence on designated dates during the exhibition and will be available to talk about their work with visitors.

Admittance to the exhibition is free to all and is open daily.

Digital artist Dr E Alana James said: “My friends and I see this as a wonderful opportunity for families as well as art collectors to enjoy a summer day out in the very beautiful surroundings of Ballymaloe.

“The exhibition will open a conversation about how we interpret and celebrate life, in a variety of styles and experiences, and one of us will be in residence on Thursdays through Sundays each week.

We are looking forward to welcoming the public after many months of collaboration and preparation, and to chatting about how we use art to express what is most important to us in life.

Husband and wife artists, Kate and Philip French are thrilled to be showing their sculptures and paintings at this exhibition.

“Life is to be celebrated and we visually express our interpretation of life by using different materials, textures and colours. It will be exciting to see the reaction to our work in this unique space in East Cork,” they said.

The full line-up of artists is:

Mary fFrench.

Mary is a visual artist celebrating life through art as part of the complexities of our relationships with each other and within our ever changing social and natural environments. She works primarily in textile art and mixed media.

For more on her work, see Facebook: maryffrenchartanddesign

Find her on Instagram: maryffrenchart

Mary will be Artist in Residence at the Grainstore on July 29 and August 7.

Fiona Devlin

Fiona does abstract artist painting in oil, cold wax and other media. She has a strong focus on rich colour, texture and depth in her art which celebrates nature and life. She moved to the Kinsale area in 2021 and is a member of the Kinsale Atlantic Artists Group. Find her on Instagram: @fiona.devlin.art

She will be artist in residence at the Grainstore on July 20, 27, 28 and August 3.

E Alana James

Alana is interested in people and the stories of our lives. She remains curious about how to express depth of vision over time and how to translate that into visual images via digital art. She wants to portray what life feels like rather than how it seems on the surface.

Follow her on Instagram: @ealanajames

She will be Artist in Residence at the Grainstore on July 30.

Veronica Cremen

Working mostly in oils and acrylics, Veronica’s paintings show a strong connection to the countryside and the sea - capturing the transient changes of nature throughout the seasons.

She adds: “On the other hand, I am inspired also by the form and lines that architecture gives me. Working with textiles brings opportunities to me too, through its vast variety of materials and processes - both old and modern.”

She will be Artist in Residence at the Grainstore on July 20 and 27.

Kate French

Kate is a sculptor working with many different materials.

She said: “I am interested in colour in my sculpture. I work with many different materials, in fact just about anything that I can form into a shape. The moment just before and after movement occurs also intrigues me.

“I do not feel that visual art should need to be explained in words. The point is, it is visual and if it needs to be explained to anyone then it has failed. The feeling in a rt, as in life, is all.”

Kate is Artist in Residence at the Grainstore with Philip on July 21 and 22 and August 4, 5 and 6.

Philip French

Philip is well known for his oil painting depicting the timelessness of traditional values. He trained in the UK in Fine Arts and at the Royal College of Art in London. Promoted by numerous leading galleries in Ireland, UK, Canada and US, he is married to Kate French.

Philip will be Artist in residence at the Grainstore on July 21 and 22 and on August 4, 5 and 6, with Kate.

Jacinta Darragh

Jacinta Darragh, a West Cork artist, is inspired by landscapes, seascapes and the flora and fauna that surround her. She usually paints in oils and loves plein air painting. Follow her on Instagram: Jacinta Darragh West Cork. Jacinta will be Artist Artist in Residence at the Grainstore on July 23.

Gill Good

Gill is a painter whose work is based on those seeking refuge from war and their difficult journey to safety. She is currently working with Sanctuary Seekers, in recognition of the plight of the refugee.

Find Gill on Facebook Gill Good and Instagram: @gillegood or see www.gillgood.com

She was Artist in Residence at the Grainstore earlier this month.