Art careers in bloom at first-time exhibition

TWO mothers who decided to follow their artistic dreams are set to launch their first ever art exhibition in Ennis next month.
Flowers in Bloom is an exhibition of paintings by Fiona Quinn Cartwright and Ann Mulkerrins, both adult students of local artist Carmel Doherty at Ennis Art School.
Both Fiona and Ann had always enjoyed art but it wasn’t until later in life that they decided to take the plunge and go along to classes.
Their tutor, Carmel, said she was so impressed with their talents, she believed they had to showcase their work with an exhibition. She hopes this could possibly be the beginning of a new career for the pair. The exhibit will be launched at the Rowan Tree on September 1, running until September 15.
Fiona said, “I don’t say follow your dreams, you should chase them. I have always enjoyed creating in some shape or form but my desire to paint seemed to become very strong after the birth of my children. Since then, I have painted on and off over the years, just for fun really. It was at the beginning of the year that I came to a crossroads where I started to think seriously about what I wanted to do with my life and my thoughts kept going back to a strong desire to paint. This is when I found Carmel who helped to build my confidence in both myself and my paintings… She has thought me that through hard work, compassion and creativity, you can not only follow your dreams but live them,” Fiona explained.
“Art is therapy for me, it helps me deal with my emotions and lets me communicate my feelings through paint. Simply put, I create art to feel better, it gives me a sense of purpose. I hope my paintings bring others as much happiness as the happiness I get from creating them.”
Ann added, “I was good at art in school and since then, wanted to do art, both craft and paint but I never had the opportunity to do so. With three grown-up children, I decided this was the time to do something for mysel This is my first exhibition and it means a great deal to me to have this opportunity to have my work on show.”
Carmel explained that adults take up arts for a range of experiences, some to learn from scratch how to be creative, while others want to further their artistic potential.
“Some of my students have faced redundancy after many years of consistent work, faced with spare time on their hands and instead of looking at it as a negative, they have decided to look on it as a positive and expand their horizons. This is something they would never even have considered when in full-time employment. That is why I believe it is very important for students to exhibit their work in the public domain. It greatly improves the quality and creativity of the students work as well as teaching them that all work is of value as time, experience and monetary expense is generated into achieving the final outcome.”
“Personally, I am very impressed with not only the quality of the student works being produced but at the variety of work and approaches these works represent.”
Speaking about the upcoming exhibition, she said, “This gives Fiona and Ann the opportunity to show their work to a large and knowledgeable audience. This is an opportunity to showcase the enormous talents of Fiona and Ann before one of the finest art communities in County Clare, as the Rowan Tree is the permanent exhibition centre for artists affiliated with Anon is Anall.”
For details of both Fiona and Ann’s exhibition, visit www.ennisartschool.com.