New piece ready to be hung as soon as a little maintenance is done to the hoarding. It depicts ladies from the Gibney family who lived in the tenements. Studio will be a little lonely without them!
Farmleigh - Children's 'Dereliction' Art Workshop
What a great to spend a Sunday afternoon. The weather was kind and the Cow Shed Gallery was packed! Thanks to the mums and dads for bringing such an awesome bunch of kids along and getting creative with them.
Chapelizod 'Dereliction' at Farmleigh Cow Shed Gallery - Official Opening
The exhibition Chapelizod 'Dereliction' was officially opened by Minister Simon Harris on Thursday night.
I was really thrilled with the reception the work received and am hugely proud of all the people that contributed their time and energy to the project.
To see it all in one place is fantastic. As I said on Thursday evening this was very much about the process rather than the outcomes but it's wonderful to see the outcomes get such a great response!
The exhibition is open Thursday to Sunday 10am-5pm until November 23rd.
Lest We Forget - The Gambles, Chapelizod (Dereliction)
When I settled in Chapelizod 10-12 years ago the heartbeat of the village for me was the Villager Pub and what I knew to be Paul's Shop or Kelly's.
Paul's shop was a greengrocer, craft beer treasure trove before hipster beards and craft beers were anything like ubiquitous, sweet shop, general store and a daily news digest.
I guess I noticed the building that housed Paul's was gradually decaying but was genuinely surprised and saddened when Paul was left with no choice but to call time on a business that his father had originally started some 50 years before.
The building to the immediate right of Paul's is almost completely gone now and it's history is fascinating. Known as The Gambles, a 500 year lease was originally granted in 1694 by Sir John Temple. Although originally a single structure it was subsequently divided into separate dwellings.
The Gambles buildings were tenements which fell into disrepair and were boarded up by the late 1950's. Several of the families housed there were rehoused in the then new council housing estates in Ballyfermot.
Among those that lived in the Gambles buildings were Dominic Bolton, so-named as a foundling baby discovered on the corners of Dominic St. and Bolton St. in Dublin and Maggie & Mrs. Gunning. (see below)
Mrs. Gunning was well known for leaning on her window sill and for never being short of a kind word.
When I started the "Dereliction' project this year I had no idea that several of the buildings in question were about to be auctioned. The Gambles building was the subject of a compulsory purchase order by Dublin City Council and I'm grateful to them for their co-operation and support in allowing me to utilise the hoarding (that had to go up for health and safety reasons) in the project.
Maggie and Mrs. Gunning are coming down for a few weeks and will be housed in the Cow Shed Gallery in Farmleigh for the Chapelizod 'Dereliction' exhibition between the 6th-23rd November. They will be back though and will eventually be joined by these fine ladies.... members of the Gibney family who were also Gambles residents at one time.
I do wonder what the future holds for sites like these and I'm worried that their stories may be lost. I've always loved the shabbiness of Chapelizod, the character, the edges.... and the people. I suppose new stories will have to be written....
Chapelizod 'Dereliction' - Official Opening - Farmleigh Cow Shed Gallery - Thursday 6th November 7.30pm
I'm delighted to announce that the exhibition will be officially opened on Thursday by Fine Gael TD and Minister of State with Special Responsibility for the Office of Public Works (OPW) Simon Harris.
All about Simon here:
Childrens 'Dereliction' Workshop
Childrens 'DERELICTION' WORKSHOP
Ages 6-12 years.
Explore dereliction and the impact that it has on our neighbourhood through this creative workshop.
May get messy! Come early as numbers will be limited.
Cowshed Gallery, Farmleigh, Phoenix Park, Dublin
Sun 16th November 2-4pm
My Own Experiences Of Art In Health
'Shoes Come In A Box, People Don't'
It made me think again about my own experiences having produced work for some of Ireland's hospitals & care facilities over the last few years.
I was forced, while conceiving & producing the work, to consider very carefully the impact it might have on patients, their families and the staff of these facilities.
Below is a commission I did for The Hermitage Clinic in Dublin. The rising figure depicted over 5 canvases represents the journey from sickness to recovery and was intended to gently encourage hope and ultimately, well-being. The colours and weight of line are deliberately chosen so as not to be overbearing but suggest a lightness of spirit.
Shortly after, I became aware that I was reacting to that process through some of the personal work I was doing. I was surprised by the rawness of the resulting paintings. I was in fairness, also responding to a crisis of my own brought on by acute & extended homesickness. I felt genuinely anguished to the point it was having a physical effect on me. (Thankfully that's now resolved!)
These paintings are not self-portraits but certainly are autobiographical and the entire process felt very cathartic. I'm eternally grateful to my model Caroline Baker for understanding implicitly what was required. Raw, naked emotion. Plug for her: She makes awesome music! Check her out here
While there isn't much debate around the capacity for art to effect us emotionally and intellectually, either while creating or appreciating it, I am also really interested in the physical impact it can potentially have.
In her excellent blog post from earlier this year, Artfetch co-founder Patricia Tsouros, links to this Youtube clip. As she points out, it's all about the Dopamine!
While in this post from the same source there is a suggestion that artists are more prone to suffering mental health issues, I can happily report that I'm as far from slicing my own ear off as I could hope to be!
The very act of making art is the one thing, more than any other, that inspires, delights, challenges and motivates me to examine, explore and express my view of the world around me.
In short it nourishes me....
Art is therapeutic.
Finally, here is Art Dublin a great Dublin exhibition listing site. Now get some therapy!
Exhibition Opening - Chapelizod 'Dereliction'
Official Opening:
Thursday 6th November at 7.30pm.
This is a free, ticketed event.... You can print your ticket here: Chapelizod Dereliction - Invitation
I've had a fantastic nine months working on a community arts project in my own village of Chapelizod.
You can find out more about the project here or at Facebook here
It's been a wonderful experience to engage with so many people but sadly it's coming to an end. I'm really excited however to announce the upcoming exhibition that will bring the project to a close.
The exhibition is a chance to display some of the work produced by myself and the various participants in response to Chapelizod's derelict historical buildings.
RHA - Drawings
Getting ready to go live with the new website last week gave me a chance to have a good look back at some of the work i've done over the last few years.
Naturally i thought some of the work was pretty good and some of it, not as much.
I did find these drawings from a life-drawing week I did in the RHA a few years ago and really quite like them. I'm sure they're tucked away in a portfolio somewhere.
I remember getting more & more confident as the week went on.
And becoming leaner & meaner with my mark making.... Note to self: do some life-drawing.
Irish Museums Association - Forum 27th June 2014
Was delighted to have been asked to give a presentation on my work at the IMA Forum in Collins Barracks, Dublin on Friday last. Thanks to everybody who came along and for all your wonderful comments.
ww.irishmuseums.org/ima-forums
More Dublin Castle- Street Art Workshop
Photos from another Street Art Workshop in Dublin Castle for the OPW. For more public art projects I've been involved in check out the public art page here.
'Street Art Workshops' at Dublin Castle
Delivered the 1st 'Street Art' Workshop in Dublin Castle for St. Andrews Community Centre this week. Kids never cease to amaze me. I honestly think that these workshops are as good for me as they are for them. Looking forward to the next three in the series.
Made possible with the collaboration of Dublin Castle and the OPW.
GET TOGETHER 2013 - NCAD DUBLIN - Friday
GET TOGETHER 2013 - NCAD DUBLIN - Friday 28th June
Hugely worthwhile day at NCAD, organized by Visual Artists Ireland.
Hooked up with some wonderful people and learned so much, some that I had no idea I wanted to know about!
As I work alone in my studio I forget sometimes that I am one of so many and that they are all out there in easy reach. As I said 'Hugely Worthwhile'.
40/40/40 Exhibition
Minister of State Brian Hayes and Minister of State Lucinda Creighton today announced details of an exhibition of Irish contemporary art that will tour a number of prestigious European venues to celebrate our EU Presidency and our 40 years as a member of the European Union.
- Minister of State Brian Hayes and Minister of State Lucinda Creighton at 40/40/40 Exhibition in Dublin
The 40/40/40 exhibition comprises works from the Office of Public Works (OPW) managed State Art Collection by 40 artists under the age of 40, who are Irish or are based in Ireland. The exhibition includes photography, drawing, sculpture and painting to represent the diversity of current visual art practices which have been drawn from over 15,000 pieces managed by OPW that are usually located in the public buildings throughout Ireland.
Reviewing the collection, Minister of State for European Affairs, Lucinda Creighton TD, said:
“Our Presidency is an opportunity to help provide leadership on critical policy issues in Europe, but is also an opportunity for us to showcase Ireland on a European and world stage. This exhibition shows another side of Ireland from the one that may have dominated European headlines for the last few years – an Ireland that is young, diverse, creative and confident.”
Minister of State with Special Responsibilty for the Office of Public Works Brian Hayes said:
“This exhibition will bring the work of talented young artists in Ireland to the attention of audiences in some of the cultural centres of Europe. It is a statement of the strength of our artistic community as well as our strong commitment and connectedness to Europe. ”
Minister Creighton - This exhibition shows another side of Ireland from the one that may have dominated European headlines for the last few years – an Ireland that is young, diverse, creative and confident.
The exhibition will be inaugurated in the Conde Duque Cultural Centre in Madrid on 20 March and is also scheduled to travel to Warsaw and Rome during the Irish Presidency. The exhibition is being organised by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Office of Public Works. The Ministers expressed their strong appreciation of the excellent cooperation that their staff and the Embassies in each country had encountered from all the venues hosting the exhibition. The exhibition will be the occasion in each location for the wider promotion of Ireland.
Read the full catalogue of the exhibition, containing all of the artworks.
Hugely inspiring.
Waterford Regional Hospital - Commission
The paintings have now been delivered and will be installed Mid-March. Can't wait to see them in-situ! Will post pics as soon as they're up.
Exhibition Extended
For those of you who haven't had a chance to get to it yet, or would like another look, you might like to know that my current exhibition 'Debbie Chapman - New Work at Tamp & Stitch' has been extended and will run until Feb 7th.
Tamp & Stitch, Unit 3, Scarlet Row, Essex Street West, Temple Bar, Dublin.
First Thursdays Dublin
I am delighted to be on board with First Thursdays Dublin, the new collaborative initiative encouraging Dublin city galleries to open after hours on the first Thursday of every month.
Inspired by First Thursdays in London, ‘First Thursdays Dublin’ will see a number of galleries opening between 6 – 8pm on the first Thursday of every month.
I will be exhibiting my latest work in Innovative Boutique Cafe Gallery 'Tamp & Stitch' Unit 3, Scarlet Row, Essex Street West, Temple Bar, Dublin.
This is a great opportunity to enjoy a late evening of art hunting in the heart of the city. Please put this on your list and call in to see the latest work!
New Work at 'Tamp & Stitch'
Thursday 6th December, 6 to 8pm
Innovative boutique café gallery, ‘Tamp & Stitch hosts my new body of work.
These paintings have been inspired by my recent period of time spent away from home. The often stark and brutal paintings suggest a gradual loss of identity and are informed by a hugely personal narrative.
The evening will be part of 'First Thursdays Dublin', a Temple Bar Cultural Trust initiative that brings together art galleries, cultural and creative spaces on the first Thursday of every month – by sharing the same late-night opening times. see
http://templebar.ie/Event/First_Thursdays_Dublin
The event will be preceeded by the Mayor of Dublin turning on the XMas street lights outside Smock Alley Theatre on Cow's Lane at 5.30.
There will be a short talk on the work at 6.20pm
Tamp & Stitch, Unit 3, Scarlet Row, Essex Street West, Temple Bar, Dublin.
See the event facebook page on
Waterford Regional Hospital Commission
I'm delighted to say the the HSE , with The Waterford Healing Arts Trust (WHAT), have commissioned me to produce the artwork for the new Neo Natal Department in Waterford Regional Hospital. The commission 'Family Portrait' will consist of five pieces and one large triptych. The new department is due to open in 2013.