'We all get each other': New art group unites creatives in Cork town

Artists Ina McCarthy and Nicola Geary are easy to spot in the busy coffee shop. They stand out.

“I was told once that I dress like my personality!” says Nicola, who is sporting a brightly coloured bandana and a necklace of colourful beads fashioned by herself. “My personality is colourful!

“I am painting and working with clay and other materials for over 30 years,” adds Nicola, who ran a craft shop in Midleton with her mother and her sister, Claudine.

“Being an artist, my mother was always my greatest supporter,” adds Nicola.

The autumn colours that Ina, of Juniper & Rose (Florists), is sporting, are more muted but blend magnificently together.

“Art was always my thing,” says Ina. “As a child I would dream of making mud pies and I would make shapes in cow dung with sticks. When the nuns in school gave me chalk, I never stopped drawing and painting.”

These artistic ladies are part of the newly-formed group Visual Artists Midleton, whose first exhibition takes place on Friday, October 17 at 7pm at My Place Midleton.

“There are 12 of us,” says Ina. “We are all committed and dedicated artists who support and encourage each other. We are a democratic group who make decisions together.”

The artists are all unique.

“We are all different, bringing different artistic ideas to the table,” says Ina.

They are like one big family. “That’s what it feels like,” she adds.

Ina is the inspiration behind the group and, along with her colleagues, has put in a huge amount of work over the past few months in preparation for the big launch.

“Visual Artists Midleton was founded on November 21, 2024,” says Ina. “We are a tight knit group of like-minded people comprising of painters, illustrators, printmakers, mixed-media artists, and sculptures, each bringing their own unique story, vision, and process.

“The encouragement and support we offer each other is wonderful. We have a special bond that is hard to describe.”

Ina’s obvious artistic talent wasn’t always encouraged.

“My dad wasn’t for me being an artist,” she says. “When I applied to Crawford College of Art and Design in Cork and was accepted, my dad was not at all happy!” says Ina.

Why not?

“He wanted me to be a Domestic Science teacher,” says Ina.

But, lured by the colour, landscape, mood and joy, reflecting on how she looked at the world, Ina was having none of it.

“I left home! I hitched a lift up to the city to stay with my friend Hazel so that I could go to the Crawford and study art. “I graduated from art college and went to work at Saleen National School in Midleton, giving private art classes.”

Was her dad happy now that Ina was teaching?

“Not really! My art that I did over the years was stored at home in an outhouse on the farm!”

Ina’s love of art never left her.

“I continued to paint, and I did window dressing at one stage too.”

Another stage of her life saw her study to be psychiatric nurse. “My way of engaging with people was to sketch them!” says Ina. “And I would write a poem about them. It was a privilege.”

She was always looking to brighten up her surroundings at home and at work,

“I started doing flower arrangements for St Michael’s Hospital and for Sarsfield Court.”

The canvas of life changes all the time. Ina went on to open her own florists in Midleton.

“My daughter, Rachel, runs the flower shop now,” she says. “I do the deliveries.”

And she does great paintings.

“A while back, I built on a conservatory to the house,” says Ina.

Doing something you enjoy is addictive. “Now, I’ve run out of space,” she says.

“The room is packed with art materials and paintings. I can paint all day every. Art is my solace.

“I am always observing. I love to paint what I see. It’s a rare day I don’t paint. I am intrigued about the mystery of nature, shapes, light, darks, the joy of mixing colour.”

One day, the idea for and need of the art group in the locality became evident.

“Art in Midleton has long been present in pockets seen in the brush strokes of local painters,” says Ina. “The sculptures hidden in studios, the sketches filling private sketch books, but never before in Midleton has there been a unified group solely devoted to bringing together their talents under one collective umbrella.

“The idea of forming the group was to give visual artists in Midleton a platform, not only to show their work, but to support one another, exchange ideas and build something great.”

Ina adds: “Midleton is filled with creative people. but for a long time many of us were working in isolation.

“Visual Artists Midleton is about changing that, about forming connections, creating opportunities, and just showing the wider community how much talent is here.”

The artists do not intend to hide their talents under a bushel, planning their first exhibition this week.

Ina laughs.

“That is a good way of putting it.”

What can we expect to see at the exhibition?

“Themes vary widely across the exhibition,” says Ina. “Some works delve into nature and the changing seasons of East Cork, while others grapple with identity, memory and imagination.

“What unites them is a sense of place and the shared experience of being artists on the crest of something bigger.

“We hope to not only attract art lovers from Midleton and the surrounding areas, but those who have never set foot in a gallery before,” says Ina.

“Art is for everyone. We want this show to be a celebration not just of what we created, but of what is possible when we come together.”

Artists are determined people.

“Artists are passionate about their work,” says Ina.

“For instance, when I was travelling to Kinsale to do the flowers for a wedding, I saw an old bike up against a farmhouse wall in Kilbrittain.

“Despite being on a tight deadline to get to the church on time, I had to stop off and breathe in the scene that I could later put on canvas. Do you understand?”

Kind of. I’ve often stopped reading to jot down a memorable phrase from a book.

“There you go. You get it.”

Visual Artists Midleton get each other.

“That is the beauty of the group,” says artist Matt Ind.

“It is inclusive. And we all ‘get’ each other. That is already obvious to all the group, even though it is in the early stages.

“Being in a creative group is more dynamic with input and ideas from everyone. It’s where you can experiment and get inspiration and confidence from.

“The potential for the group is obvious. We can only get better and better.”

Visual Artists Midleton exhibition, curated by Gary McSweeney, opening Friday, October 17 at 7pm at Mill Road, My Place Midleton. P25YT50.

The exhibition is open until October 29. All welcome.