The secret gallery’s blog

These wind drip drawings were made 8 years ago on this very same clothes-line. Then the sheets of cotton lay on the ground and little paper vessels that I made by stitching old bank statement held the indigo pigment and oil that dripped as the wind blew them dangling from the clothes line. It was a  nice circle to hang them from the same clothesline but this time let them be blown by the wind and dance! I loved the sound they made and the meditative feeling you get from watching the repetitive but ever changing motion as the wind blows the wind dripped drawings; a little dance making the invisible visible.

The cotton moving backwards and forwards and the sound it made reminded me of a Public Art Piece that an Artist and Friend of mine Maeve Collins did in the Square in Ennistymon last summer. Maeve hung some real and elegant bed sheets with mirrors attached reflecting what was happening in the space around them, as they moved backwards and forwards on the sheets, while at the same time played recordings of elderly people talking about life on the island, which Maeve recorded while living on Inisheer. It was a lovely piece the Artist sat with her work to talk with anyone who wished to converse beside the meditative wave of the sheets that had been brought into the town. This is just a snippet as there is a lot more to Maeve’s work that I did not mention. As part of this Public Art Work her recordings also sailed  over the waves to the Aran Islands and there was a third part to this work, a line holding clocks, umbrellas a dress and musical instruments entered the sea at Liscannor, and the gateway to HiBrasil, an island some people say they have seen. I hope to put up some of the Artist’s images of this poetic art work soon, as I am having a little technical trouble today. So have a look in a few days they are well worth it!

A little thought I had today

If it is not right for you it is not right for the world!

Today, I went to see a painting exhibition by Cóilín Rush, in The Courthouse Gallery Ennistymon. I am not an Art critic and I wont pretend to be one! I liked the show, particularly a painting called “Big Trouble in Little China”, which was particularly playful. What grabbed my attention was the Artist’s statement, where they said  they disliked themes, and then went on to say,”….to bend it’s meaning and pervert it’s destiny…”when taking about open submission calls for Artworks where there is a theme.” I think themes sometimes prevent us from seeing the work that Artist’s do when left alone”. I do agree with this artist, and somehow think that because of the Artist’s refusal to pin themselves down too much, I found the show more intriguing, however there did seem to be a secret theme going on! Maybe the one that happens without us labelling it before it is cooked! I thought it was funny because I wrote something a little similar in yesterday’s blog!

The Courthouse gallery is a great creative hub of activity, there is always something going on there, we are really lucky to have it in Ennistymon. There are regular Exhibitions, Artist’s Studios, workshops and classes, and even a Puppet Show coming soon, we hope to go to!