Profile of Veaceslav Salaru, Gallery Eleven’s Featured Artist 15 Mar 2022 3:12 AM (3 years ago)
Artist Veaceslav Salaru is originally from Moldova. He moved to Ireland 20 years ago to make a better life for himself and his family.
He has always been passionate about art, particularly portraits, caricatures and landscapes. He spent most of his free time in childhood admiring nature and portraying it on paper. His dream was then and still is to pursue a career in art.
Veaceslav works part time as a welder and spray painter. With encouragement from his wife he hopes to soon concentrate full time on his work as an artist rather than spending long hours after work painting and sculpting.
In his hyperrealism work he looks at portraying the surrounding world in minute details. He regards this as the most precise and difficult painting style.
His works on canvas (particularly his sill life work) are made following the technique of the old masters. He uses up to ten layers of oily transparent paint and lets them dry for up to two weeks. Paintings are made on high-quality linen canvas of Belgian or Italian production. He uses Old Holland paints, which are some of the best in the world.
“I always believed each of us is naturally good at something and this ‘something’ carries a purpose behind it. I believe that my purpose is to portray the beauty of the surrounding world, inspire people and pursue them to follow their dreams so that their talent is not wasted like I wasted mine for 20 years.”
Veaceslav in his studio
For more information on Veaceslav and his work check him out on Facebook or Instagram.
You can see his work at Gallery Eleven where he is currently the featured artist.
Exhibition of oil paintings by Clémence Prosen at the Red Stables 7 Mar 2022 8:17 AM (3 years ago)
An exhibition of oil paintings by French born, Irish artist Clémence Prosen opens on Monday March 21st at the Red Stables in St Anne’s Park, Mount Prospect Ave , Dublin 3. ‘Breathe’ will feature more than 15 oil paintings forming the centerpiece of the exhibition. These artworks are described by Prosen as windows to peaceful moments, reminders to pause, be present and enjoy every instant, in full serenity.
Clémence has been painting since 2014. It is now her full time job. She creates representational paintings in oils and in watercolours. She gets her inspiration from her walks in nature and has painted many locations along the Irish Sea. She advocates mindfulness and mental health by creating meaningful art through different connected media. She wishes to inspire you to live a calmer and more balanced life.
The exhibition continues until Sunday March 27th and is open 10 am to 4:45pm. Admission free.
Tony Gunning Exhibition opens at Gallery Eleven Stillorgan 18 Feb 2022 4:37 AM (3 years ago)
Not being able to find a suitable platform for emerging artists, John and Carrie Clinch decided to open their own gallery with only original work. The gallery is just off Kilmacud Road Upper in Stillorgan, Co Dublin.
The current “featured artist” is Tony Gunning. Tony is self-taught artist who started working as a professional artist when he left the Revenue Commissioners in 2000. Since then he has had work in numerous group and solo exhibitions. He works in acrylics. His latest range of paintings is of the bogs of Ireland.
The gallery opened in October 2021. They are keen to represent emerging as well as established artists. Their commission is 25% for sales under €2,000 and 20% for sales above. For more information see galleryeleven.ie.
Phase 2 Programme of the 39th EVA International 24 Jun 2021 8:39 AM (4 years ago)
EVA International, founded in 1977 by artists, is Ireland’s Biennial of Contemporary Art. EVA leads in the commissioning and curating of contemporary art by Irish and international artists, culminating in a programme of artistic encounters, exhibitions, and education projects, that takes place every two years across venues in Limerick city and beyond.
Phase 2 features 14 presentations by Irish and international artists and collaborating curators, across venues in Limerick, remotely and online. Taking its reference from the “Golden Vein,” a 19th-century descriptor for the agricultural bounty of the Limerick region, the 39th EVA International programme seeks to address ideas of land and its contested values in the context of Ireland today.
Highlights of the Phase 2 Programme Include:
Guest Programme: Little did they know
Curated by internationally acclaimed curator Merve Elveren, phase 2 of the 39th EVA International’s Guest Programme, Little did they know, will extend across two venues in Limerick city (Park Point and Sailor’s Home) and on a dedicated online platform. Functioning as an “exercising ground” for interpreting current social and political conditions in various geographical contexts, the exhibition centers around two archival research projects; Asia Art Archives’ Betsy Damon Archive: Keepers of the Waters (Chengdu and Lhasa) and Kosovo Oral History Initiative’s Reconciliation of Blood Feuds Campaign 1990-1991.
Works by Diego Bruno, Baris Dogrusöz, Melanie Jackson & Esther Leslie, Amy Lien & Enzo Camacho, Hana Miletic, Deirdre O’Mahony, Richard Proffitt, Mario Rizzi and Aykan Safoglu surround these presentations, allowing for broader dialogues between notions of home and uprooting, remembrance and forgetting, care and action.
Platform Commissions/ Partnership Projects
New video work will be presented by Eimear Walshe that considers relationships between sex, sexuality, and Ireland’s housing crisis which will be shared with viewers through a postal subscription; and the ongoing presentation of Áine McBride’s sculptural work that augments the 19th century architecture of Limerick’s Sailor’s Home. Anca Benera & Arnold Estefan present works at spacecraft Studios as part of EVA International’s Partnership Projects initiative, developed through EVA’s participation in the Magic Carpets network. Their recent work investigates man-made landscapes around the world, where the modification of the landscape goes hand-in-hand with heightened state violence and the over-exploitation of resources.
Other Initiatives
Alongside the exhibition programme there will be additional project activities including Better Words, an initiative by EVA International to empower new forms of access and engagement with contemporary art through a programme of creative language projects. Phase 2 will include free exhibition resources for visiting children, including activity postcards and publication copies of Better Words: A Field Guide to Contemporary Art and Culture.
Venues and Visitor Information
The 39th EVA International Phase 2 will take place 2 July – 22 August 2021 with venues at Park Point, Sailor’s Home and spacecraft Studios. All indoor venues are subject to capacity restrictions and public health protocols. Please see www.eva.ie for further information.
A summer of art on Sherkin Island 21 Jun 2021 6:21 AM (4 years ago)
Sherkin Island will hold a series of art exhibitions on the island this summer. Despite the additional challenges of social distancing, the community has decided to go ahead with its plans to showcase the island’s creative and artistic talent.
The exhibitions will all take place in the Community Hall on Sherkin Island, starting with an exhibition by the Haiku group from 25th – 27th June when they will display the Haiku poems they wrote during the recent lockdowns.
This will be followed by the annual Sherkin Island community art exhibition from 29th June –4th July, a celebration of the diverse creative talent on the island. It will include paintings, photography, sculpture, textiles and ceramics. The exhibition will open every day, from 12 noon until 5pm.
Six more art exhibitions will run after that right up until 24th August:
6th of July 11th of July Jordyn Lynch
13th July 21st of July Jo Ashby and Robbie Murphy
23rd July 2nd of Aug Vanessa Richardson & Nigel Towse
4th Aug 9th Aug Tara O’ Donoghue
11th Aug 16th Aug Brigid Madden & Roisin Youell
18th Aug 24th Aug John Simpson
All will operate to strict Covid19 guidelines including the use hand sanitisers, face coverings for all visitors and a one-way system in line with social distancing requirements.
Known as ‘island of the arts’, Sherkin Island has attracted a population of creative individuals including professional and non-professional artists, musicians, writers and photographers.
Aisling Moran, project coordinator with Sherkin Island Development Society (SIDS) said: “We have thought long and hard about holding the exhibitions this year due to the additional diligence required by Covid19 guidelines. As always, we are grateful to Cork County Council for their support in helping this to happen. We see it as a great opportunity to showcase the great creative work that is being done here and to welcome people to the island.”
For ferry times see: http://www.sherkinisland.eu/ferry
A Well of Inspiration drawn from Lockdown 21 May 2021 4:36 AM (4 years ago)
For Irish Portrait Artist and tutor Alan Keane (65) the restrictions of lockdown may have kept him behind closed doors but they also were the keys to open up an exciting new adventure into the world of media and presentation.
“Just when it seemed the world was closing in especially on older citizens like myself” says Alan, “the lockdown handed me an opportunity which evolved out of necccessity, to connect people, painters, actors, poets, musicians, writers, art lovers and hobbyists of all kinds and from all over the world.”
When lockdown#1 began, Alan like many others sought to make their skills or knowledge freely available online for others in an effort to keep their spirits up and to have a scheduled activity on a Saturday morning to look forward to.
“On the Saturday morning of the first lockdown, I was due to have 6 students at my Studio” Alan recalls. “But instead of cancelling, I urged them and their friends and families to tune in for free on Facebook and learn how to draw from home.”
Twelve consecutive Saturdays later, the numbers for Alan’s Facebook drawing classes were continuing to grow but the course had come to a natural conclusion – coinciding with a relaxation of the lockdown.’ But instead of a desire to return to normal Saturday morning activities, the group expressed a desire to continue.
“They had got to know each other and some had even formed friendships out of their common interest.” Says Alan. “Their Saturday morning drawing class had become more than a class. It was like a visit to the well – a weekly ritual where likeminded knowledge-thirsty individuals could meet and filling up on that most primal of human needs – making connections, sharing their knowledge and appreciating each others work.”
Following an instinct Alan came up with the idea of bringing his group on virtual tours, visiting the studios of other artists at home and abroad, learning about them, their practice, their techniques and inspirations. “I wanted to see how other artists could add to the store of learning I’d already shared with my students and followers.” He says.
In line with the understanding that when people are passionate about something they seek out knowledge, inspiration and most especially connection with others, The Artist’s Well – the gathering place – was born. It’s name reflecting the raison d’etre of the series.
“It was like a natural evolution and everything began to fall into place and to be honest, at the beginning of 2020, I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would be learning how to set up Facebook ‘lives’, Zoom calls, email lists, YouTube channels, cold calling renowned artists, gallerists and performers.” Alan says it was a roller-coaster of learning all falling into place like building bricks as though The Artist’s Well was an idea with a life of its own determined to take form.
It was important that viewers could interact with the guest artists, so Alan in the summer of 2020 he moved from Facebook Live to Zoom to facilitate face to face questions. Now more than 43 episodes later, The Artist’s Well has become “a weekly source of artistic inspiration, encouragement and contact making” according to one viewer.
“I was conscious that whilst the predominant focus would be on visual artists, its remit should embrace anyone in or connected with The Arts.” Says Alan. “So then it seemed like the right next step to include features of poets, actors, gallerists, photographers – even an Opera singer – in addition to the list of a large number of artist all ages and genders.”
For Alan, the thing that shone out more than anything else was people wanted to know more about the human element of the making of an artist. “We want to know the things we have in common, our taste in music, our interests etc. much more than what our differences are.” He says and feeling that what’s possible for one is possible for all. My focus is on what has moulded the artist’s life, as much as it is their work and I find that Artists are generous in sharing the things they’ve learned, tips, solutions to problems etc along the way – even down to what music they listen to while engaging in their art!”
The overall message is that what’s possible for one, is possible for all Alan says. “And I’m the living example of that. This time last year I thought I’d have to content myself with a bit of gardening and a good box set on the telly.” He says. “But you have to keep doing what you love and look outside of yourself. Be prepared to share what you have and what you know because that’s when opportunities and new ideas present themselves. Who know what adventure will come out of that.”
Viewers of The Artist’s Well Saturday live programme have grown from a few dozen to the maximum of 100 allowed on Zoom, so it has people logging in from America, Canada, Europe, India and Australia a half an hour before hand to ensure a place. All episodes are archived on The Artist’s Well YouTube Channel (see link below) which now gets significantly more views after the event.
For links to The Artist’s Well, contact alan@aka.ie www.aka.ie
For further information phone Alan Keane 086 2552418
To view the list of previous interviews, click here.
Burren College of Art MFA Exhibition and virtual Artist Talk 6 Apr 2021 2:56 AM (4 years ago)
It’s Strange to be Here (April 17-30, 2021) is the end of year Burren College of Art MFA GRADUATE EXHIBITION featuring work by Brittany Baldwin, Shannon Castor, Ellen Ferrier, Letitia Hill, Aisling Jelinski, Sam Kahn.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a live, virtual discussion with the artists, moderated by Dr. Aine Phillips, on Monday, April 19, at 1:00pm GMT. The artists will be showing images of their work and the installed exhibition, as well as answering questions about their experiences as students and artists over the past year during the pandemic.
The Zoom details are:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85943651626?pwd=cFlHU1R0bEhIZ05rWkZJUkVOdzJ6Zz09
Meeting ID: 859 4365 1626
Passcode: 696783
For more information see: https://www.burrencollege.ie/its-strange-to-be-here/
Exhibition of New Work by Roisín O’Farrell Hosted by The Doorway Gallery 24 Mar 2021 9:14 AM (4 years ago)
The show entitled ‘Families like us’ will be a lockdown show, held in a pop-up gallery space in Stillorgan Shopping Centre and Roisín will be painting live in the shop, behind closed doors. The venue is essentially a glass box (Kiosk) that allows viewers to stroll around 360 to view the work safely from outside. Roisín will be inside during painting on Saturday and Sunday from 12-4pm and visitors are welcome to come and watch.
The show runs from Thursday March 25th – Wednesday 31st.
All of the paintings can also be viewed and purchased online. For more details see The Doorway Gallery.
Online Art Classes with John Nolan 5 Feb 2021 4:45 AM (4 years ago)
John Nolan has been a practising artist for 40 years. I interviewed him in 2011 after he had started giving art classes in his studio: A Celebration of Colour – John Nolan . The classes could accommodate 10 students. Each class would last two hours. With the onset of the pandemic, John took all the necessary precautions to continue the classes: reduced class size, Perspex dividers, hand sanitisers etc. With the lock down however he had to suspend the classes.
John is not unused to reinvention – “a necessary ability for an artist”. A new direction was needed hence he decided to make art videos for his students. The goal was to make them as relaxing as the actual classes in his studio: no pressure, the videos can be paused, reversed, watched as many times as is required.
There is a selection of paintings to choose from. There is a charge of €20 per painting. This gives access to between 4 to 10 videos, normally lasting 2 hours, the same duration as the real time classes in the studio. Subscribers also have access to a WhatsApp group for Q&A. He is getting very positive feedback from the subscribers.
For more information contact john@nolanart.com
or have a look at his website “A Celebration of Colour” www.nolanart.com
Liam Madden
Irish Art News
D8 Refugee Community Sponsorship Christmas ArtRaiser 24 Nov 2020 2:27 AM (4 years ago)
Some of Ireland’s leading contemporary and up-and-coming artists including Eamonn Doyle, Maser, Alice Fitzgerald, Colin Martin and Lola Donoghue – have donated work to the D8 Refugee Community Sponsorship Christmas ArtRaiser. This unique fundraiser supports the imminent resettlement of a family from a war-torn country into a new home in Dublin 8.
Bids are emailed to pledged8refugeecs@gmail.com – the first person to offer the recommended price will be successful, or the artwork will go to the first nearest bidder when the ArtRaiser closes on Friday 18th December. Act local and care global! With something for all interests and price tags – including street art, photography, print and fine art – ArtRaiser is a great way to buy a meaningful holiday gift.
ArtRaiser is run by the D8 Refugee Community Sponsorship group whose objective is to make a difference to a refugee family in need. Support from the Dublin 8 community to date has been overwhelming, from funding to services, supports, education, food and accommodation.
Sale starts 10am, Monday 23rd November – ends Fri 18th December 2020
Visit artworks https://www.d8refugeecs.ie/artraiser . Send your bid to pledged8refugeecs@gmail.com
Live updates on Facebook @d8refugeecs // Prices from €30 to €900