My Soul

A few years ago I did the Kicking the Bucket workshop run by two lovely ladies. This workshop was run around the idea of art and death. To say I enjoyed my experience is an understatement.  An experience that has stuck with me to this day.

As a result of the workshop we made work to take part in a group exhibition in Limerick City Gallery of Art. Below is an example of some of the work I made for this exhibition.  The main installation of my work.

Monoprints in gold ink with embossed text. Hands reaching to Heaven or to the Soul. Hands reaching inbetween life and death.

I suppose this piece is sitting with me heavily lately since I am in my own in-between. Now going through chemo due to breast cancer, not something I ever thought I would write. 

My body is being poisoned to save it. A long haul but there is light at the end of the tunnel and I should count myself lucky.

I tried to rescan these prints but they are best seen in the images originally hung below. There are also prints available. 

I think about the ladies who held this workshop everyday, especially one who sadly passed after her own battle with cancer. A lady I admire greatly, she was so kind to me and their kindness means so much.

I will get through this. I will keep making work. Find the balance. 

I'm sure I could have said something more profound but my brain is mush after the chemo. 

 Original images below

Art keeps me going

 Things are kind of tough at the moment. Life is changing fast and I have no control over it. 

It's tough but I'll keep going. Have to.

Appointments. It's exhausting 

Art and the animals keep me going, keep me grounded. 

Amazon, 2022, mixed-media sculpture

Amazon, 2022, mixed media

detail

detail

detail

 Amazon is a new sculpture that I have been working on and off for a while now. It seemed to change as life threw its little life changing hurdles at me and this piece reflects that.

It is made up of a large goose egg, from one of my own geese, which has been, pierced, stitched, and wrapped. A piece of a snail shell representing a breast pokes out of the wrapping of the figure. 

She is balanced precariously on the narrow part of the egg, braced for a fall. Gently placed on a piece of plated sinew which sits atop a wooden base.

The face of the sculpture is ceramic. Specifically it has been pit-fired and polished with bees wax. She is almost balding but the illusion of hair is created by again wrapping her face with plated sinew. Wrapped in a false comfort.

The Amazon women of history would cut off a breast to make them better archers, better warriors, to take lives.

Now as women in some cases we have to have our breast or breasts cut off to save our own lives, this is the new Amazon.

Untitled drawing, 2022

'Untitled,' 2022

I finally finished this drawing today. Well it's more of a collage. The monoprint at the base is done by the artist Dawn West. When Dawn sends gifts she uses her old prints to wrap them. I always keep what I can. This bit was hanging in my studio and I was compelled to use it. When I first worked on this it didn't work out (see below) with some advice from Dawn I cut out the feet and print and placed them on a new piece of paper. Keeping just a small bit of the small silver fish drawings. Adding pressed flowers and drawings of forget me nots. 

If you are familiar with the artist Arno Kramer you may see some inspiration in this piece from his work. The feet actually were from a drawing I did of one of his pieces, in the gallery I occasionally work at, of feet. Arno also cuts out his drawings and re glues them onto other drawings. 

He is an amazing artist and I would highly recomend looking him up especially if your practice is drawing based.

 

Where you left me

'Where you left me,' 2019

I originally posted , 'I will wait,' on October 2019 on Instagram.
It was pointed out to me at the time that I made a rather obvious grammar mistake. Were instead of Where. I was totally oblivious. I think I had even googled what was correct and still got it wrong. I left it alone, although really annoyed and embarrassed, it has just become the norm for my work to be filled with these stupid little mistakes, reminding me that I am not perfect and that is OK. Of course today I went back and added the h to the w(h)ere as I want to use this piece for something and you know it really has bugged me. ;)
It is a tiny h but it is squeezed in there between the W and E.
.

Colour on the farm-call duck

Colour on the Farm series, 2022

In continuation to the photo I took the other day, colour and contrast on the farm, I took this photo with the help of Ma. Mum was cutting the willow tree and in the spur of the moment she helped me take these photos, the final being the one above. I think I will slowly contiue with this 'series' if you can call it that. Spontanous photos made in the moment with no prior planning, just using whats at hand.

May be ages before I get another photo. If I push it I probably wont get any. All for fun.

 

Colour and Contrast on the Farm

I took the above photo first on my phone. Just playing. Liked it. Then roped in my Ma to take the below photo on the old camera.

Pleased with the outcome. Just a bit of fun.

 

Pit-fired success

The little ceramic faces fired successfully in the pit yesterday. After a clean and polish with beeswax they are ready to be used for future sculptures!

 

Busy Day

Busy day today. Nothing like a little bit of medical anxiety to kick your ass into gear and get you do lots of work.

This morning I lit the pit for the first time in a long time. Firing small ceramic faces for future sculptures.

Then this afternoon I cut more wooden pigeons. 

Hands ache and my jigsaw blade is blunt but all in all a good day.