TWO Ennis artists will form half of a quartet of visual artists who will be featured in a new exhibition at Limerick City Hall over the next week and, reflecting the current economic times, four works of art will be raffled free of charge on the night.

Quartet Limerick 2009 is a group exhibition by visual artists Margaret Ray, Liam Thompson, Jim Furlong, and Tomás O’Maoldomhnaigh, who call themselves Quartet. Each artist has agreed to contribute a work of art, which will be raffled free of charge on the night.
Both Liam Thompson and Tomás O’Maoldomhnaigh are Ennis based and will have their works included among the 100 pieces of art to be exhibited during the week.
The opening of Quartet Limerick 2009 will take place next Monday at 7.30pm at Istabraq Hall, Limerick City Hall, where Deputy Jan O’Sullivan will officially launch the event.
Among the 100 works on view will be pieces reflective of landscapes and townscapes of the West of Ireland. Themes include the dominance of nature over the environment through the study of sea off the West coast, while other works show contrasting portraits of the Irish in the style of contemporary romantic realism. 
Many of the works are lively, vivid and vibrant. They convey a spark of humour and will include paintings in a figurative and semi-abstract mode, which aims to produce positive responses in the viewer or collector.
Margaret is known for her seascape and equine art, while Tomás is a well-known portrait artist, who has had more than 12 solo exhibitions all over Ireland, his last being in The Limerick City Gallery of Art in June.
Meanwhile, Jim Furlong, a lover of traditional music, is also a well-known portrait artist who specialises in charcoal drawings and paintings of traditional musicians.
Ennis-based artist Liam Thompson has a fresh but studied look at both landscapes and still life.
His individual style is highly admired and his work covers many genres – landscape, still life and figurative work.
Liam is influenced by the scale, palette and techniques of Caravaggio, Hughie O’Donoghue and Titian.
The exhibition will continue until Wednesday, September 23. For more information, contact Limerick City Hall on 061 407100.