Still Life and Living at the County Museum

AN exhibition of paintings by Newmarket-on-Fergus based artist Frances Bailey is on display in the County Museum for the next month.
Still Life and Living is a sample of her works which she has created in her studio at Urlanmore.
Frances is a fifth-generation daughter of Ennis, of the McNamara family of Chapel Lane. She now lives in Newmarket-on-Fergus, with her husband Edwin, two daughters, Rebecca and Ruth and granddaughter, Nyrenee. She was educated in the Convent of Mercy primary school, Ennis and afterwards did a commercial course at the Ennis Vocational School. Soon afterwards, she entered the convent of the Sisters of Mercy, Auckland, New Zealand and while there, she studied art at the teachers training college in Remuera.
There she was introduced to many forms of art, such as batik, silk-screen printing, lino cuts, clay modelling and painting. It was there that she developed her love for the subject which she later developed by attending night school. She returned home to Ennis after seven years in religious life and took up employment as a clerical officer at Shannon Airport where she met her husband. 
Frances has been painting since 1976 and has worked in many mediums but mainly in oils and acrylic. She has devoted most of her spare time in sharing her talents on a voluntary basis with interested people. She has given art demonstrations to various groups such as ICA guilds and youth clubs and has also worked with children in schools in the Clare area.
She has exhibited numerous times with small groups of which she has been tutor and leader. She was the founder member of the Mulbin Art Group, who painted for many years in Newmarket-on-Fergus, with members benefiting from her experience and expertise. Frances has a unique skill for disseminating her enormous talent to fellow artists who wish to acquire the rudiments of painting.
Paintings from Still Life and Living and more may be viewed on the website www.wippawool.com.
The exhibition runs until May 22.