The Stand, Oil on Canvas

Currently on display in the Summer Open Exhibition at the Courthouse Gallery, Ennistymon. Metamorphosis depicts a young boy gazing at the butterfly that rests gently on his finger. On his t-shirt are various images associated with his healing journey after surgery…

‘Attack’ features three birds of prey in various stages of attack…

‘As ABove, So Below’ depicts the six-fingered girl from the legendary city of Cill Stuifin, said to be under the waters in Liscannor Bay, close to the …

The Broc Sidhe, is described as a demon badger. Many places…

‘The Brothers’ is based on a portrait of former President of Ireland and poet, Michael D. Higgins, and his brother John Higgins. Taken from a communion photograph, it shows the boys in their communion outfits, holding a toy cow and a horse - items mentioned in the poem ‘Brothers’, by Michael D. Higgins.

Seal Man references the selkies from Irish and Scottish folklore. These beings were described as seals who could transform into human form when they took off their sealskin and walked on land. They are described as extremely attractive when in their human shape.

This watercolour explores how physical evidence from such majestic creatures remains with us today through their bones. The birds symbolise the power of myth to carry such memories from past experiences. The crow has long been associated with the Morrigan, a legendary Irish Deity known for her ability to shapeshift and her associations with death.. 

“Sea People” is a series of paintings inspired by the tale of the lost village of Cill StúifÍn, imagining its vanished inhabitants. Seaweed plays a prominent role in my work, both for its environmental significance and its similarity to the way human hair moves underwater. In “Sea People” seaweed acts as a vessel for emotion, conveying what is internal and not always visible on the surface. 

’Attachment’ depicts a woman kneeling in an abstract, underwater world. Her hair is various shades of green, echoing the form of Kelp seaweed and the gravity of hair. This material is connected to her, expressing her vulnerability and raw emotional state.

In ‘Entangled’ a male figure is standing, but with his torso bent forward. His right hand reaches to cover his head, his face obscured from us. Seaweed emerges from his hair, entangled around his body. Blue and black dominate the left and right of the painting, with drippings of pink. He stands on an olive-coloured ground.

In ‘Contemplation’ a middle-aged man sits with crossed legs. Seaweed emerges from his receeding hair, moving around his body. He is lost in thought, staring off towards the ground, his eyes lowered. His fingers are moving slightly. The background features pinks and blues blending, and black on the right features from the top to the bottom of the painting.

‘Melancholy’ features a female figure in a seated position on a watercolour ground with her arms crossing over her knees. Her kelp hair is floating towards the right, upwards. A melancholic expression on her face. In the back ground is a wave of blue colour, dashed with pinks and greens. Drips of black paint drip from the top left area.

In this painting a rook stands. His body and head are facing to the left, we only see him in profile. He is observing something, yet also aware of being observed. Behind him is a plain red background.

A male figure falls through space, his seaweed hair raised behind him. Parts of his figure show the veins and connecting tendrils, echoing blood vessels. His body is free falling, trusting the space it moves through, he is without fear.

A man climbs a mountain. He turns to face the changing sky behind him, a strange glow where his left hand passes. The ground beneath him is dark and rough. His hair is kelp seaweed, displaying his determination to continue the struggle to keep going.

Watercolour on paper, Private Collection.

A female figure faces a blast of light coming from the top left corner of the painting. Seaweed is intertwined with her figure, recoiling from the blast of light. Her posture is open and welcoming of the rays of light. A huge transition is taking place, the dark receeding both literally and metaphorically.

The Demon Badger stands atop a mound of bones. In the distance is Liscannor Bay and Mount Callan. The Broc Sidhe breathes flames out to the night sky.

Watercolour on Paper.

Exhibited at The Irish Arts Center in New York, 2018.

‘Sea Floor’ expresses the time of grief, when one must turn to stillness and solitariness. And yet, within this time of sorrow there is still movement - as seen in the figure’s hair that is slowly and tentatively navigating the world around it again.

Healing through the slow, solitary moments that follow grief.

‘Conviction’ features a determined woman moving through the ocean waters. Kelp seaweed is part of her figure, flowing from her as she glides towards her destination, unknown to us.

Image featured in the Irish Examiner Newspaper Profile section, 2023.

Exhibited in Dulaman na Farraige (2023), Clare County Museum.

Watercolour on Paper, Private Collection.