Home » Tag Archives: art (page 3)

Tag Archives: art

“Social distancing” by Mia Murnane. of fourth class St Finnachta’s National School, Sixmilebridge, one of the entrants in the County Clare Kids Art Competition

Finding inspiration in isolation

THE children of Clare are being urged to find inspiration in staying at home and get involved in a countywide art competition being run on social media. The brainchild of Ennis based visual artist Rachel McManus the competition is free to enter and is open to all primary school children. The Clare Kids Art Competition is already proving popular with the county’s youngsters, with Rachel already wowed by the standard of entries. The theme of the competition is ‘My Life at Home’ with primary school children asked to create a work of art based on this idea. Rachel explained the inspiration behind the competition, “We are all navigating these unusual times as best as we can. It can be hard for kids not being able to go playgrounds, play with their friends and not being able to play sport or go to their normal activities. Being told they cannot see friends and family feels strange and unfair. It’s easy to …

Read More »
Bobby the Cow, painted by Laurie Hehir, from Quilty.

Laurie chosen for art competition TV advert

A PAINTING by a young Clare artist and student of the Ennis Art School has been brought to life as part of a new television commercial. The painting by young Laurie Hehir, aged seven, was chosen to illustrate the promotion of the closing date for receipt of entries in the 2020 Texaco Children’s Art Competition. Her teacher, local artist Carmel Doherty told us, “This is a massive achievement for Laurie, her parents are delighted and very proud of her. She’s a very nice kid, full of beans and really creative. It’s marvellous to see her art work on the screen.” Screened here and in Northern Ireland throughout the months of January and February, its purpose will be to notify young artists, parents and teachers that the 66th Competition is underway. The commercial’s storyline centres upon Laurie’s painting of ‘Bobby’, her grandfather’s Friesian cow for which she was awarded a prize in the competition last year. Focusing on the characteristics that …

Read More »

Elaine painting the nation

From painting pets to Painting the Nation, Ennis-based artist Elaine Gavin is helping to bring a bit of colour to television screens after being named among the finalists in RTÉ’s search to find Ireland’s best amateur painter. The teacher in Lissycasey National School is one of seven contestants chosen from hundreds of accomplished artists who applied to take part in the second series of the popular Painting the Nation show. She revealed that while she was supposed to keep her television debut a secret, she couldn’t help but let it slip to some of her biggest fans. “I was actually at school when I found out the news and the kids were the first to find out. They probably shouldn’t have, because I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone, but you know yourself. It was just so exciting,” she said. The 31-year-old, who teaches senior infants and first class, said she couldn’t believe she had made it to the show. “I …

Read More »

Public art gaining ground in Clare

Clare County Council’s Arts Office has announced of a four-year public art programme, entitled ‘Gaining Ground’. The aim of the council’s Public Art Programme 2017-2020 will be to utilise the pooled resources of the Per Cent for Art Schemes of the Local Authority and the Office of Public Works to maximise their potential. The programme comprises four strands taking place in North and West Clare, Shannon and Ennis. In North Clare, four six-month residency projects will be selected to take place over a two-year timeframe. A single residency project, entitled ‘Re-imagining the Rural’, will be selected to take place over a one-year timeframe in West Clare.  A single project, entitled ‘Dancing Together’ will be selected to take place over a one-year timeframe in Shannon.  ‘Reflections’, meanwhile, is the title of a publication and symposium in Ennis from 2019 to 2020. The launch of Gaining Ground will be held at Glór in Ennis on June 15 with guest speaker Annette Moloney, …

Read More »

Nóirín’s generous gift of art

CLARE-based artist, Nóirín Williams Mooney has recently gifted a collection of 14 batik paintings on the life of Christ to Mary Immaculate College (MIC) in Limerick. Professor Michael A Hayes, president of Mary Immaculate College (MIC), accepted the collection of paintings, entitled Story of a Life, on behalf of the college. Nóirín Williams Mooney was born in County Galway but has spent most of her growing and working life in County Clare. Having graduated from Galway University, she went on to take her ATC degree under McEvoy and Mannering at the College of Art in Limerick. She taught in Scoil Carmel, before becoming lecturer of art in Mary Immaculate College in Limerick. During these years, she held two joint exhibitions with Eileen Egan and participated individually in several Irish Winter Artists’ Exhibitions. In 1969, she married the poet, Brian Mooney, and together they moved to the Burren in County Clare, where they ran the Vincent Perfumery. The poet, John O’Donohue …

Read More »

Thomas captures the face of Richard

A PAINTING of Richard Harris by Clare artist Thomas Delohery is to be used as the promotional image for the inaugural International Richard Harris Film Festival, which runs from December 4-6. Originally from O’ Callaghan’s Mills, Delohery now lives in Melbourne, Australia. He said he was very honoured to be asked to do the art work for the festival. “I think this is the perfect way to honour the late and great Richard Harris, who was a very proud Limerick man but who saw Kilkee as his spiritual home, so much so he named his house in the Bahamas, Kilkee House,” he said. His image was projected onto King John’s Castle last week when the programme for the film festival was launched. “As Richard was a local man and had gone to such heights in his career, for that reason I saw him as an inspiration. I have been very fortunate that I have got to know the Harris family …

Read More »

North Clare Coastlines Inspiring Ann’s Paintings

CLONLARA artist Ann Daly is currently staging her second solo exhibition in Kilmallock, County Limerick, until the end of September. The exhibition, entitled God’s Country, features a selection of paintings that capture the beautiful landscapes and sceneries of the Liscannor and Doolin coastlines. As well as exhibiting at the Friarsgate Theatre, Kilmallock, Ann will be participating in Culture Night at Contact Studios, the studio space she shares with 14 other artists close to St Joseph’s Hospital on Mulgrave Street in Limerick City. On Culture Night, the studio will be open from 5pm to 10pm to afford members of the public a chance to meet and greet the artists in residence and view their works. Ann is among a number of Clare artists based at Contact Studios. Speaking about her current exhibition, she explains the featured paintings mainly encompass scenes from Liscannor, a place she is all too familiar with. “I paint mainly Clahane, Liscannor, Doolin, which is where I am …

Read More »