x equals catalogue 2007
DESCRIPTION
An exhibition in 2007 of the work of past students of the Art Portfolio Preparation course at Galway Technical Institute who graduated during the last ten years.TRANSCRIPT
An exhibition of the work of past students
of the Art Portfolio Preparation course at
Galway Technical Institute who graduated
during the last ten years.
This course prepares students for entry into
art colleges to study some of the following
subjects; painting, graphic design, sculpture,
architecture, fashion, interior design, print,
industrial design, film, metal design, textiles etc.
The exhibition reflects this diversity
of discipline choice.
This book details each artist/designer’s work
and gives key information into their art
education and experience since leaving
Galway Technical Institute.
Corsar Books
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First published 2007 by Corsar Books
© 2007 Galway Technical Institute and the several authors
The material in this publication is protected by copyright law. Except as may be
permitted by law, no part of the material may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means; adapted, rented
or lent without the written permission of the copyright owner.
ISBN 978 0 9555106 0 1
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Contributors
edited by Gavin Murphy
foreword by Jim Brick
essays by Gavin Murphy and Lochlann A. Hoare
Exhibition
selected by Gavin Murphy and Lochlann A. Hoare
exhibition curator Robin Jones
project co-ordinator Sarah Farrell
design Johan Hofsteenge
printed by Clodoiri Lurgan
This publication and exhibition were grant aided by the Arts Council of Ireland.
We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of Galway Technical Institute,
City of Galway VEC, NUIGalway and the Further Education and Training
Awards Council.
Exhibition – NUIGalway Campus 9th to 23rd February, 2007.
In conjunction with Muscailt NUIGalway’s Spring Arts Festival.
Foreword
x equals marks an important milestone in the one hundred and ten year history of Galway Technical Institute.
While it celebrates the success of the Art Portfolio course that has been in existence for over a decade, it is a timely reminder
that Art has been at the heart of the curriculum in GTI since its foundation.
The decision in 1995 to concentrate on developing a comprehensive Post Leaving Certificate curriculum opened the door to
new bold initiatives designed to serve a population of young people who, up to that time, were ill-served by the Irish education
system. The Art Portfolio course came into existence at this time of great change in the college. From the beginning the course
typified the pioneering attitude of the teaching staff in GTI who were determined to exploit fully the opportunities for innovation
and renewal which the new environment in the college presented.
On behalf of everybody in GTI I wish to thank the following who have made a contribution to this event; Sarah Farrell, whose
vision, determination and hard work made this exhibition possible; the teachers in the GTI Art Department for their unstinting
support and commitment; Gavin Murphy and Lochlann A. Hoare who selected the work; Robin Jones, exhibition installation and
coordination; Fionnuala Gallagher, Arts Officer NUIGalway, for the space to hang the show and the facilities for the official
opening; Catherine Marshall of IMMA for performing the official opening, our generous sponsors whose logos appear elsewhere
in this catalogue, the endlessly patient Johan Hofsteenge who designed the catalogue, and above all, the past students of the
GTI Art Portfolio course who presented work for this show and who contributed so much to all aspects of x equals.
Finally, I wish to take this opportunity to pay tribute to Fred Bazler who has taught Art History at GTI in recent years and who is
due soon to leave that post. Fred is a brilliant and generous teacher and has made an outstanding contribution to the college
over the years. Prior to leaving GTI Fred has contributed an enormous collection of class material, accumulated over a long
career, to the Art Department, to be used as a resource by teachers and students in the years ahead. I cannot express
adequately my appreciation for this wonderful gesture.
GTI takes great pride in this beautiful exhibition and in the manner of its organisation, as it represents the special lifelong bond,
or learning partnership, we try to create with all our students. To misquote Vincent Van Gogh; we dream of students dreaming
and then painting their dreams.
Jim Brick
Principal, Galway Technical Institute
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Likewise, those arriving at GTI straight from school worried if they could meet the demands of their new course, cope with
a different social mix, or if, indeed, they had made the right choice at all. Yet there was a common unity among all the
responses to the call to exhibit in that the experience of the course has had a positive impact on their lives. They took the
chance offered to them and confronted their many doubts. They matched the demands of the course, and, most
importantly, there was a sense of personal growth and creative development that marked their time at GTI. In this sense,
the Portfolio Course can be seen as a crucial point of transition for the many lives that have passed through it. And hence
the x of the exhibition title: a point where two lines intersect, a point marking the spot where staff and students meet, x
as the in the first mark we really make, and x as an unknown quantity that can be the product of this interaction.
The work on show for x equals reflects the idea of the Portfolio Course being a creative hub shared with like-minded
souls and characterized by an array of practices, attitudes and ambitions. There are examples of architecture, ceramics,
craft and fashion design, graphics, industrial design, jewellery, painting, photography, print, sculptural installations, sound
pieces, video work and textiles. There is even a Response Room set up by an ex-student that will hold art activities and
organize tours of the exhibition. This, as well as the sheer diversity of artwork on show, reminds us of the various paths
on offer for those choosing to study and learn through art. The artworks hint at the lives led and choices made by their
creators. Each piece might also be read as a testament to the commitment and dedication of staff on the Portfolio
Preparation Course. For it is the intention of the course to find common ground and a common language at the heart of
art and visual communication. The emphasis on core drawing skills, on colour theory and on the visual forms defining two
and three dimensional concepts is testament to this. Indeed, while each contribution can also demand attention on its
own terms, it also asks each viewer to form a grander understanding of what people can do and why they should do this.
It is from this demand for a greater sensitivity towards the question of how we can be creative that one can sense the
value of x equals. For of all the stories at the heart of the exhibition, the one that lingers is that each piece speaks of a
search for how its creator can make a meaningful contribution to their own and our own lives. Have we anything more
important to communicate than this?
Dr. Gavin Murphy
Dr. Gavin Murphy is a lecturer in Art History and Critical Theory at Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology. He has contributed to manypublications, including Locus Solus: Site, Identity, Technology in Contemporary Art (Black Dog Publishers), Placing Art: A Pilot Public Art
Programme (Sligo County Council), Third Text, Circa, Source and Irish Studies Review.
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A common view of an art student is captured by an old joke: why do art students never look out of the window in the
morning? The answer, of course, is that they would have nothing to do for the afternoon. When reacting to such views, it
is too easy to overcompensate by stressing how the virtues of hard work, a seriousness of purpose and a stoic
perseverance characterize the efforts of the art student to make it in this world. It is true that the fashion industry is
notoriously competitive and cut throat, just as it is true that graphic and product designers can be found at the heart of
any vibrant economy. It is also true that the effort to maintain a fine art practice is often a battle against financial
constraints as well as a perpetual questioning as to whether the sacrifice is worth it. And this is before one considers the
effort it takes to create opportunities and networks in order to climb the art world’s greasy pole of recognition. Yes, to
overemphasize these points is possibly to lose sight of the grander ideal our culture should hold to and that students of
art should find comfort in.
Consider the ideas of two thinkers we should all be familiar with – Henry David Thoreau and Bertrand Russell. Thoreau’s
famous lines from Walden immediately spring to mind: The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called
resignation is confirmed desperation. The key to happiness, for Thoreau, lies in advancing confidently in the direction of
one’s dreams, and endeavouring to live the life which one has imagined, even when this path runs contrary to the
demands of society. Russell, by contrast, believed happiness could be attained only when passions and interests are
directed outward, not inward:
It should be our endeavour therefore, both in education and in attempts to adjust ourselves to the world, to aim at
avoiding self-centred passions and at acquiring those affections and those interests which will prevent our thoughts
from dwelling perpetually upon ourselves.
It would appear that a key to happiness lies in pursuing a creative life that treads the fine line between these conflicting
demands. Obviously, such a position is a hard one to hold given the tensions, doubts and external pressures that bear
down on our everyday lives. But in reading the accounts of former students of GTI’s Art Portfolio Preparation Course
when they reflect on how they came to attend the college and what they have subsequently gone on to do, there is a real
sense of negotiating these choices.
For many, the choice to return to college after many years in the field of work was one racked with doubts: wondering if
the artistic ability was actually there, financial worries, or feeling out of place in terms of age and perceived aptitude.
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Eleanor Brennan
Ever since she was a child, Eleanor Brennan has kept notebooks, diaries and has been a hoarder of things of
memory, including her early artworks. It seemed an obvious choice for Eleanor to pursue a career in the arts. Her
experience at GTI and on a degree course in Fine Art revealed the importance of self-reliance in having to make
one’s own chances in the artworld and with life in general. Indeed, her sense of exploration extends to her love of
travel, having recently completed an extensive tour of South America where, among other things, she worked as
an Arts and Crafts Facilitator with children in Brazil. As well as working as a practicing artist, Eleanor co-ordinates
and runs various visual arts workshops and projects for community groups in Galway such as Sonas and Solas.
The work for this exhibition is selected from her most recent photographic project Polska/Poland. Eleanor
travelled throughout Poland so as to ‘learn a little bit more about the place they call home’. This curiosity for a
culture we are only becoming to be familiar results in photographs that offer compelling points of contrast and a
shared terrain. They offer a reminder of the values of community and family life in conditions that can often be
fraught; values that are increasingly seen to be under threat with the new found affluence in Ireland.
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The work on show in this exhibition reflects the diversity and individual journey of
each of the artists/designer participants into the world of imagination and creativity.
This diversity is formulated on the use of visual language as defined by Bauhaus
principles and annunciated by Walter Gropius, founder of the Bauhaus School of
Design (1919-1928), in his theories on form and function allied to their use in
modern materials. This template defines the methodologies – enquiry – analysis –
understanding. The study of the particular rather than the general is the key-stone
to the understanding of this language.
The artists/designers on show were initiated into this idiom through the art and
design course established at GTI by Sarah Farrell which is based on these sound
principles. A grasp of this language will prepare the student for a journey that could
be seen as a rite of passage and as such, is an intense personal experience.
It is not only their social persona that is transformed it is also their conceptual vision
as well.
New possibilities emerge and through a distillation process of de- and re-
construction, new worlds are formed and explored in which insight, imagination,
creativity and sensitivity are the cardinal points on this conceptual compass.
This journey is reflected in the work on display. Participants are no longer acolytes
but have been transformed. A metamorphosis has occurred from apprentice to
artist/designer and in this case, the first steps on this personal journey were taken
by these former students at GTI.
Lochlann Alastair Hoare NDD ATC
Former Head of Foundation Course and Sculpture Course at GMIT.Visiting Lecturer NCAD and on LIT Post Graduate Art and Design Teaching Education CourseDepartment of Education Assessor and External Examiner DIT
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Jo Anne Butler
Having already been offered a place to study architecture, Jo Anne deferred so as to take a chance and follow her passion for
art. After a year at GTI, she was accepted by the National College of Art and Design and qualified with a joint honours degree
in Fine Art Sculpture and History of Art in 2005. She has continued to work as an artist, exhibiting both nationally and
internationally. More recently, she has been an artist for Breaking Ground, Ballymun Regeneration Project and has undertaken
a residency with Greenstar, a waste disposal company responsible for the construction of a new landfill site in county Meath.
Maquette Trees for x equals arises from her recent experience and consideration of the role of nature in urban and rural
development. A large plywood screen of flat cut out trees, mimicking those in architectural and engineering drawings, will be
placed on campus. The glossy, idealized façade is in sharp contrast to the rough cut nature of its underside. Through humour
and a lightness of touch, Jo Anne alludes to the role of art and landscaping as decorative screens masking the more brutal
elements of modern development.
Roger Burrows
Having concentrated on working hard during his Leaving Certificate, Roger wanted to spend a full year preparing to go
to art college. Graphic design was his main interest but he also wanted to broaden his experience by trying out other
disciplines. Roger was immediately accepted into the college of his choice – the West Wales School of the Arts – where
he can achieve an honours degree in Graphic Design in just three years.
Currently in 2nd year, he has won a number of college contests with his work. Roger won first prize in the 8th Annual
Carmarthenshire College photography competition sponsored by TyNant in 2006. As in previous years, this competition
generated some truly excellent photography which some students developed into advertising concepts for TyNant.
This award winning project is exhibited as part of x equals. Roger worked with existing TyNant design concepts but
added his own photography to create a whole range of new and distinctive images.
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Carol Anne Connolly
There is always an element of chance that can influence a specific career path. Carol Anne initially applied to GTI with the intention of
making her own clothes. After completing the Portfolio Course at GTI, Carol Anne has gone on to study a degree in Fine Art at the
National College of Art and Design. Her specialism in sculpture has led her to concentrate on video and installation work as well as
community and site specific work. Her work Waiting Womb, for example, was commissioned by Dublin City Council as part of their
public art remit. She also helps run the Mantua Arts Centre in Ballinagare which focuses on community development through the arts.
For x equals, Carol Anne’s proposal continues her exploration of modern values of care within the health sector.
While previous work has focused on the positive contribution art can make within the hospital environment, this proposal considers
the tensions between Western scientific approaches to medicine and alternative models that are increasingly coming to the fore.
In particular, she contrasts our unquestioned acceptance of the chemical contents of brown medicinal jars with the preventative
properties of natural food sources. Her installation consists of a specific number of these jars that correspond to statistics on cancer
deaths. Into each jar, Carol Anne has placed a carrot seed (carrots have recognized preventative properties against cancer) that will
sprout over the course of the exhibition.
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Tina Carroll
Tina Carroll is a ceramic artist, currently in her
final year of BA (Hons) Fine Art at Galway-
Mayo Institute of Technology. In the early
1990s, Tina undertook a training programme in
pottery production skills for the Crafts Council
of Ireland before taking up work as a residential
care assistant and adult literacy tutor.
Peer pressure encouraged her to apply to GTI.
The strong emphasis on drawing skills and the
confidence attained from the year helped lay
the foundations for Tina to continue to pursue a
career in the arts.
Her work is inspired by the landscape,
particularly the Neolithic sites found on the
Burren. The six untitled wall pieces evoke the
mystery of found objects. These repetitive
forms, born from the lost Raku technique, hint
at the element of ritual in the process of
making. The bowl and plinth also suggest a
ritualistic element not only through their
functional role but through the delicacy, chance
and grace that brought them into being.
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Amantine Dahan
Amantine has a profound interest in nature and
the environment. Her work and life is a perpetual
examination of fundamental forces and principles
and of humankind’s attempt to comprehend
these elements across time and culture.
She is a practising homeopathist and has been a
teacher of the subject in the Lakeland District, a
happy accident enabled her to do the art course
at GTI. Amantine at first thought she would do
Film and TV at GMIT, but receptive to the
possibilities that accidents can proffer, kept an
open mind while doing the course. She is now in
her final year of Sculpture at GMIT.
Amantine works in a variety of media;
photography, film, found and made materials.
Her ideas relate to the relationship between man
and animal and the fetishistic qualities inherent in
the materials she uses such as rabbit skin and
eggs. She claims to interested in the magic that
exists in working with such organic materials.
These materials demand reverence and some
kind of submission to the material. While referring
to magical, shamanistic practices in the images
and objects she creates, Amantine comments on
contemporary issues such as over consumption
and the soullessness of society.
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Jodi Coyne
Jodi had always wanted to go to art college and by doing the art course at GTI she
was able to apply to third level while getting a general foundation in art education.
Jodi went on to Limerick School of Art and Design to study Ceramic Design.
She has just competed her fourth year of the Honours Degree programme.
The pieces that Jodi is exhibiting for x equals are called Its All Gone Pear
Shaped (a study in decomposition). These are a series of ceramic pieces based on
decomposing pears. Art students often have to closely scrutinize natural forms in
order to better comprehend the visual world around them. To learn to draw is often
considered in the same way as learning to see. Sometimes the objects start to rot
away while the student is still struggling to grasp the basic idea of the form before
them. The rotting object also suggests ideas of mortality. Jodi’s ceramic pieces
encompass these features whilst making visible what is usually unseen or
unnoticed. What should be repulsive appears beautiful.
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Lola Donoghue
After working in a lens factory in Tuam for two
years on leaving school, Lola realised that she
should be doing something else. She was
always interested in art at school but never
really thought she would be good enough to go
to art college. Initially apprehensive, she did
not know if she had made the right decision in
leaving a secure job and if her choice to
undertake the course at GTI would actually
lead anywhere. Quite quickly, she realized she
had made the right decision. Lola went on to
Limerick School of Art and Design and finished
a degree in Fine Art-Painting before completing
an Art and Design Teaching Diploma. She
achieved First Class Honours in both. She has
been teaching art at St. Colman’s College in
Claremorris Co. Mayo for the past five years.
Lola is showing a large, mixed media painting
for x equals. Based on architectural
elements of buildings and spaces seen while
travelling in Barcelona, the painting considers
formal qualities such as transparency and
solidity, openings and closings. Transparent
paper is echoed in solid colour. What appear to
be blobs of paint are areas of dense velvet.
Lola succeeds in her aim to create a light, airy
and pleasing atmospheric quality as well as a
sense of spatial continuity, rhythm and pattern.
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Joanne Dolan
After several years of studying Public and Social Policy at NUIGalway, Joanne had had enough. With a limited portfolio and memories of art
classes at school, she applied for GTI and was accepted. Her skill and passion for drawing was recognized and nurtured. Joanne herself
discovered an area where she would be content to take the chance to try and make a living from it. After attaining a degree in Fine Art,
specializing in print, Joanne helped found the arts collective, First Draught. As part of First Draught, she has organized its debut exhibition
for Project 06. She has also exhibited at Tulca. First Draught are currently attempting to set up studio space for members of this collective.
Joanne’s contribution to x equals is titled Personal Graffiti. She charts the passage of notebook doodles, writings, sketches and mark-
making through a process of refinement and development towards finished pieces. It is often said that the journey is more important than the
final destination, and here Joanne tracks the drawing process as it begins with an immediate form of personal expression to end with a
potentially more considered, crafted and nuanced form of representation.
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Rachel Dubber McCaffrey
Rachel had been living and working in Canada before returning to Ireland. She applied to GTI as a means to get
enough material together to do a degree in fine art. She finished her degree at GMIT in 2005. Rachel has had a
number of exhibitions in Galway and Dublin. More recently, she has shown as part of the 6x6 Tri Showcase in
China. Her work is also held in a number of private and public collections including the Galway City Arts Office,
Rooney Auctioneers and Paul Dillon Architects. Rachel is currently living in South Africa.
The prints for this exhibition are inspired by numerous trips to the prison facility on Robben Island. This facility has
existed as a place of exile and isolation for nearly 400 years and gained notoriety for its institutional brutality
during the apartheid regime. Today, it stands as a symbol of the victory over apartheid and the spirit of those
incarcerated. Each print attempts to articulate a sense of that oppression and history by reference to the prison’s
architectural forms and the everyday routine within those confines.
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Martin Dooney
It was always Martin’s intention to study visual art and he accepted a place on the portfolio course at GTI immediately after his Leaving
Cert. On completion of the course, Martin was accepted to study sculpture at the National College of Art and Design and developed his
interest in socially engaged art practice. On completion of his degree, Martin has begun a Higher Diploma in Community Art Education.
He is currently on placement with Focus Ireland as part of this course. He has also worked at Coolmine Stabilisation Clinic and in
Community and Day Care Centres in The Coombe and Inchicore.
In response to the call for submissions for x equals, and in completing the questionnaire, Martin found himself considering the
notion of self analysis in the light of Paulo Freire’s dictum of ‘act, reflect, act, reflect’. In response to his own awareness of his tendency
to over-analyse even the most banal issues in life, he is displaying a large bar chart, colour code and a diary page. This information
give details of everyday concerns such as how often he thinks about cigarettes in the space of a week (having quit three weeks ago).
It also attempts to map other shifts of mind such as considering how his confidence in his artistic capabilities has fluctuated over the
past five years. This is to the point where he tracks his shift in opinion of his own proposal over the course of its making. There is an
obvious vein of black humour running through this piece provoking thoughts of the benefits and limitations of this style of self analysis.
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Aoife Geary
After GTI, Aoife went on to study Sculpture in Galway
Mayo Institute of Technology. Selected for Claremorris
Open Exhibition 2006, Aoife has forthcoming
exhibitions in, among others, the National Museum of
Ireland and the Custom House Art Gallery, Westport.
From Carna, in Connemara, Aoife has a strong sense
of identity connected to the Irish language, landscape
and history. She claims her work ‘can be seen to
reflect upon contemporary socio-political pressures
which are being brought to bear upon our landscape’.
Her installation for x equals arises from a
consideration of these issues. Aoife is building boat
walls supported by an old fashioned method of
scaffolding made from original currach pieces.
These structures refer to formal qualities such as
weight and enclosure and contain the metaphorical
resonances of artefact, authenticity, tradition and
archaeology. The walls also contain a sound element
based on recordings from the Connemara landscape.
These, according to Aoife refer to the ‘Irish language,
of the hardships of being indigenous to this
Connemara landscape’.
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Deirdre Duffy
After GTI, Deirdre went on to study for a
BDes (Hons) in Textiles at the National
College of Art and Design, qualifying in
2005. Deirdre stresses that gaining a
thorough grounding in the fundamental
issues of drawing and composition at GTI
has given her a strong foundation for
developing her work as a textile artist.
She has exhibited at the National Crafts
Competition Winners Exhibition that has
recently toured Ireland.
Deirdre is presenting a large wall hung
textile installation for this exhibition. It
consists of three pieces and is
accompanied by a book of related
drawings and photographs that match
the atmosphere created by the main
piece. The themes of serenity and
humbleness are developed
through the image of the small
figure being overwhelmed by
the vast expanse of sea
surrounding them.
These themes are echoed in
the attention given to the
colour, stitching, folds and
textures of the material.
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Susie Griffin
Susie had completed a number of part time courses in art before choosing the Art course at GTI on
leaving school. She had a strong idea of what she wanted to do. At the National College of Art and
Design Susie studied Glass and has recently completed her degree there.
For x equals, Susie is exhibiting two glass panels. These panels are, to all intents and purposes,
drawings. The format is that of a sketchbook page and the subject matter is the spontaneous record of
a crowd scene and everyday moments of ordinary life. Susie has a direct, immediate way of drawing.
There is no reworking or changes of mind. In this work, drawings with copper wire and coloured lines
are frozen in the semi-transparent glass so as to preserve the sense of a fleeting moment.
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Katherine Greene
Originally trained as a chef, Katherine ran a successful business as a candle maker selling wholesale throughout Ireland and at
Galway market for many years. After a serious assault, Katherine was left with permanent back damage. Faced with this, and the
obvious impact this would have on her life, Katherine chose the study of art and design at GTI as a means to explore possible
ways to continue to earn a living through art. From this, she chose to undertake a degree in Fine Art, specializing in paint.
She is also training as an art facilitator, helping children and adolescents deal with difficulties such as bereavement and separation.
Katherine has contributed two pieces for x equals. Crow is a still life combining objects around which various personal narratives
are entwined. The white scalloped pumpkin was grown from seed and is closely associated with the death of a close friend. The
crow was killed by her cat as food for two found kittens she was reluctantly mothering. Connemara Water Lily links a journey to
New York to visit a close cousin after 9/11, repeated visits to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden to sketch the lilies there, and, her own
precarious journeys into the bog to capture the frail beauty and tough existence of the Connemara Lily.
Both of these pieces reveal a process of working through material so as to accept the nature of things.
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Tess Higgins
Tess Higgins started working in the fashion industry in the 1960s. After
marrying and raising a family, she returned to work before finishing in 1997.
This allowed her the time and space to do something for herself. Tess
became aware of the course at GTI when undertaking a VTOS course in
Interior Design. This was her first encounter with art since her schooldays.
Her experience of the course was characterized by the energetic
atmosphere and friendships that developed as well as the demands of
encountering a new range of artistic disciplines. Tess has continued on
what she calls her ‘journey of a lifetime’ and is now in the final year of an
ACCS course in Fine Art. She also finds time to take extra classes in
printmaking.
Tess has contributed two prints of handbags to the exhibition. They have
been developed from sketches from her notebooks and from recollections
from her childhood. In particular, she recalls her own fascination of an
itinerant lady who would visit the neighbourhood to collect flour, sugar, tea
and salt. These goods would be stored in separate compartments built into
a bag that was highly decorated with buttons and ephemera. Tess has
created two photo screen etchings based on the theme of handbags.
Handbags are functional items that can be highly decorated. There is also
that childhood fascination of the secrets of a grown up’s handbag. Tess has
managed to capture this sense of mystery in these prints.
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Caren Hession
Caren’s early interest in animation encouraged
her to study art. She came to GTI straight from
her Leaving Cert., understanding it as a valuable
stepping stone towards a degree in Fine Art.
Indeed, she recalls the course as giving her a
solid technical and theoretical foundation in the
visual arts that she continues to draw upon.
Caren is now in her final year of a BA (Hons) Fine
Art, specializing in sculpture.
It might be said that the early interest in animation
reveals itself in her time based-video piece to
feel. It consists of a thirty-five second piece of film
looped continuously. Out of darkness, a milky
cloud emerges slowly and grows. It folds over
itself and expands to the point where it fills the
projected screen. The eye is caught up in
following the bellowing forms and is quietly
tempered. Suddenly, the film stops and reverses
at high speed back to the initial darkness.
This is matched by an audio accompaniment of a
figure gasping. At this point, the link between the
visuals and the breathing body is made apparent.
This is a work considering the delicacy of
expression, the preciousness of being open to
communication and the instinctive recoil we have
when threatened.
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Claire Holian
Claire came to GTI straight from school to prepare a portfolio for her applications to art colleges. The knowledge, skills
and experience of this year gave her a solid foundation for her further education. She has recently finished her final
year of her degree in Fine Art at GMIT, specializing in paint. Claire has already had a number of exhibitions such as
her contribution to First Draught which was part of Galway’s Project 06.
Her installation for x equals takes a boxed room as her starting point. All objects and contents have been removed.
The interior is covered with blackboard paint. Chalk outlines of the previous contents are marked onto the surfaces.
The result is strangely disconcerting in that the viewer is constantly re-imagining the objects from their two-dimensional
profile. The eye is rarely allowed to settle as it shifts from an acknowledgement of the immediate physicality of the
space to the perceptual memory of what should be there.
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Kathleen Hinde
Throughout her life, Kathleen has always had an
interest in visual art but has only until recently been
able to give sufficient time to this. Having studied
ecology, taught biology and physics at secondary level
and science to emotionally and behaviourally
disturbed boys, she then studied law and worked as a
solicitor for over ten years. While attending various
classes in weaving, mosaics and calligraphy at
different stages, Kathleen was drawn to life drawing
classes by chance. An extra person was needed to
allow one such class to run and Kathleen was press-
ganged into filling the role. Her move to Galway has
allowed her more time and space to develop her
talents. She was encouraged to apply for the Art
Portfolio Course in GTI after attending life drawing
classes in NUIGalway. Her experience of studying art
full time was both challenging and stimulating.
Kathleen is now in her first year of a degree in art and
design at GMIT.
Self Portrait is a boxed assemblage based on the idea
of the butterfly. It was inspired by the rope drawings of
Patrick Ireland. The butterfly is a recognized symbol
for metamorphosis and change, something Kathleen
has encountered many times in her life. It also
signifies a flitting, light and carefree existence we often
aspire to as well as a sense of restlessness and
rootlessness. Through its various connotations, we are
invited to consider how the artist can view themselves.
x equals 27
Catriona Keane
Catriona went on to study Fashion Design at Limerick on completing her year at GTI, qualifying in 2004.
Since then, she has managed to build up a considerable amount and variety of experience within the world
of fashion. She has most recently assisted the milliner Rodney Gordon who is based in New York. This
involved working on all aspects of the assembly of the collection, from drafting pattern to cutting and hand
stitching. Catriona has also created jewellery for Crystal Mosaic in Paris, worked as an assistant designer to
Martine Sitbon and Momoko Hashigami in Paris and undertook work experience for Irish designer Joanne
Hayes in London. Catriona is currently living in Paris and continues to design fashion collections of her own.
For x equals, she is presenting five outfits that she has designed and manufactured. The first dress is a
loose and free-flowing outfit and balances a sense of freedom with elegance. The second is more formal in
tone and style yet is clearly indebted to the classic vest design. Another incorporates a pair of y-fronts as an
integral element of the design. Her outfits are underscored by a playful humour and a delicate touch.
x equals 26
Ciaran Hussey
Having qualified with a diploma in electronic engineering and finding this less than interesting, the choice for
Ciaran was either to move towards music production or visual art. He had very little experience studying art.
However, as Ciaran was a member of a band at the time, the graphic element of the music business – flyer,
poster and album design – appealed to him. On the back of this, Ciaran applied and was accepted by GTI.
His experience of the course and his subsequent art education is one of being more open-minded and more
accepting of the ideas of others. He is now the third year of a degree in Fine Art at Limerick Institute of
Technology, specializing in print.
Ciaran has contributed a large screen print titled On the Wings of Maybe for the exhibition. It depicts an
aged female figure with an outstretched hand surrounded by butterflies. This is contained within a chaotic
scattering of colour that matches the random flight of the butterflies. There are obvious allegorical elements
at play here as well as hints of a personal narrative.
x equals 29
Mairead Morley
Always an avid collector of things, Mairead had an
interest in art from an early age. She applied to GTI
straight from school. The idea was that the Portfolio
Course could offer a useful bridge between her leaving
school and building up relevant experience and
resources for her application to art college. This had a
number of challenges. First, there was the challenge of
facing a much looser timetable and less structured
classes when compared to her Leaving Certificate.
Secondly, she encountered a much more diverse mix of
people. And thirdly, there were the creative demands of
the course where, as Mairead puts it, ‘you had to pull it
out of yourself’. Mairead has subsequently attained a
distinction in Fine Art at Limerick School of Art and
Design. She has also travelled widely and is currently
working towards a photographic exhibition based on her
work in Mwandi in Zambia.
Her work for x equals is based on a found photograph
from her collection. It is a photograph taken in America in
the 1900’s. Mairead has re-photographed the image so
as to subtly insert her own image. Her eyes are blind-
folded to give the image a disconcerting air, not least
because of the illusion that this is a historical document.
The work alludes to restriction in its various forms;
restriction in terms of the steadied pose before the long
exposure of nineteenth century photography or restriction
in terms of class and gender that can be seen to apply to
present circumstances.
x equals 28
Georgina McGoldrick
Having repeated her Leaving Certificate, Gina started a course in Industrial Design
in Letterkenny Institute of Technology. In the first couple of months of the course
she studied both graphic design and industrial design subjects and it was then that
she realised graphic design was the way for her. After a year and a half of
Industrial Design she decided to leave and undertake the portfolio course to help
her in her new direction. After the art course in GTI, Gina was delighted to have
secured a place in the visual communications (graphic design) degree programme
in Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology, as this had always been
her first choice course throughout the year at GTI. She is currently in the fourth and
final year of her degree at IADT.
The piece to be exhibited for x equals is the opening titles sequence for the
surreal, magical film 'Rooflander' (a film by one of the final year film students at the
National Film School, IADT). Accompanying this is a two sided display including
the film poster, the film’s DVD pack and promotional material. This display also
details a project visualising the national identity for the imaginary country – Civilité.
x equals 31
Ciaran Murphy
After GTI, Ciaran completed a degree in
Fine Art at the National College of Art and
Design and a MA in Visual Arts Practice at
Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and
Technology. He has been exhibiting
successfully both nationally and
internationally. In recent years, Ciaran
was selected for Eurojet Futures
exhibition at the Royal Hibernian
Academy, Here Comes Everybody at the
Project Arts Centre and for Remote
Access at the Rubicon Gallery. He is now
attached to Mother’stankstation, a private,
non-aligned commercial gallery
based in Dublin.
Ciaran commonly paints curious scenes
from the natural world on a small scale.
Indeed, the intimacy this scale
encourages is matched by a delicate
handling of paint. Texture, spatial
ambiguity and the tension between formal
and representational elements are
constantly held in suspension.
It is as if the artist purposely treads a fine
line between standard painterly
competence and an unacceptable naivete
as a means to protect a frail vision of
innocence captured and preserved in oils.
x equals 30
Gearoid Muldowney
An element of doubt so often ghosts the decisions
we have to make. Sensing he needed to be sure
about the kind of educational experience he
wanted, Gearoid chose the Portfolio Course as a
means to test the waters about an art education
and to build up a portfolio should he wish to
pursue art further. He proceeded to undertake a
design degree at the National College of Art and
Design, specializing in metals. Gearoid is now in
his final year of his degree and already has been
included in a group show in Helsinki and at the
RDS crafts exhibition at the Dublin horse show.
His heritage bag ware designs take traditional Irish
crafts as the chief source of inspiration. The Saint
Brigit’s Cross, willow baskets, traditional leather
making and Aran sweaters have been closely
examined in order to create playful and
humourous designs that clearly have their place in
the world of contemporary fashion. This is but one
strand of Gearoid’s practice. His Silver and Walnut
Candelabra won first place in the 2005 Farmleigh
House silverware collection and his Resonance
Bell, crafted from silver, enamel, glass and
rosewood, came second in the 2005 Evian
silverware competition.
x equals 33
Keith Nevin
Keith had been working in various jobs and travelling for a number of years. He had worked in a solicitor’s
office, in accountancy and bookkeeping and had travelled to America among other places. While he had never
any formal art training, he had always an interest in art. The Portfolio Course was one of several courses he had
applied to on return to Galway and approached GTI with nothing but enthusiasm. The experience was of a
competitive but supportive environment. The course also offered ‘new ways of thinking’ and a new range of
methods by which to approach things. Keith is now in the final year of a degree in Fine Art. Having gathered
some teaching experience along the way, the hope is to attain a balance between teaching and studio practice.
Work for x equals develops ideas presented in the University College Hospital Galway for Tulca 2006.
The nature of the work is shaped by its relationship to its immediate environment. The forms, textures and
markings on the surface of each piece arise from a negotiation of interior and exterior space the artist confronts
in his everyday practice.
x equals 32
Eilis Murphy
The history of collage is often characterized by a tension between the formal play of various combined materials and
the narratives brought into play by an incongruous selection of imagery. Eilis’s collages can be read in similar terms.
Her recent work exhibited for her solo show in the Goethe Institute, to take one example, set frogs, cakes on plates,
detailed drawings of plants and ordinance survey maps of townlands amidst the textured swirls and natural motifs of
wallpaper. She conjures up a strange new world balanced on the cusp of the quaint and a disconcerting vision.
Her work for x equals also retains this edge, reminding us that the traditions of collage and print are also founded
on a playful humour at the heart of making art.
Since completing her Portfolio Course at GTI and a degree in Fine Art Print at the National College of Art and Design,
Eilis has had a number of group and solo exhibitions. These include the aforementioned show at the Goethe
Institute, the Charlestown Town Hall Arts Centre and the Custom House gallery in Westport. She also has an
upcoming solo show in the Galway Arts Centre in 2007. As well as exhibiting widely, Eilis has undertaken a number
of residencies and internships that have allowed her to pursue her specialism in bookmaking. These include a
placement at Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown Arts Office and an internship at the Centre for Book Arts in New York.
x equals 35
Aoife O’Toole
Too often, we forget about the dilemmas we face when
encountering choices in education. While Aoife was sure that
she wanted to go to art college, she was still left with the choice
whether to study fine art or a more pragmatic subject such as
graphic design. GTI persuaded her towards the former, allowing
her to then explore further choices such as whether to specialize
in craft based disciplines, or two or three dimensional design.
Aoife attained a place in the National College of Art and Design,
studying sculpture before choosing the joint honours course,
dividing her time equally between fine art and the history of art.
From this, she developed an interest in arts administration and
organizing exhibitions. She is currently working as Education
Assistant in the Museum of Archaeology in Kildare Street.
Her joy of working with people through art will be evident in
x equals. For two of the weekends, Aoife will set up a
Response Room to hold art activities and organize tours of the
exhibition. Children will be able to decide on their favourite works
and will make their own presentation to the winning selections.
As such, Aoife is our official Outreach Officer for x equals.
x equals 34
Michael O’Grady
Before the course in GTI Michael studied history and philosophy in NUIGalway. He left that course to attend the portfolio preparation
course. This was his first experience of art education having not had that opportunity at school. Michael found that art offered him a chance
to combine creative expression and new ways of thinking with his interest in political and social issues. Michael graduated with a degree in
Fine Art from the National College of Art and Design in 2004. He works as a professional artist and has had a number of exhibitions in
Ireland, France and China.
The painting Michael is showing in x equals combines found materials with collage and hyper-real imagery. Influenced by his perception
of the world around him as opposed to any particular artist or movement, the paintings create visual puzzles to be solved by the viewer.
Was the plywood really like that when he found it or did the artist make those marks? These questions remind us that all images are
manufactured by the artist and help us focus on the why of the making.
x equals 37
Elaine Reynolds
Elaine came straight from school to do the portfolio preparation
art course at GTI. She went on to the National College of Art and
Design where she is currently in her final year in Sculpture.
As part of x equals, Elaine is showing a video piece entitled
‘Production/ De-construction Line’. This was recorded whilst
visiting Slovenia on an Erasmus exchange. The production line
manufacturing process is based on the division of a job into a
number of separate tasks which are done by different people.
In the interest of efficiency, each person repeats the same task.
This repetition results in a sense of alienation in the worker from
the task, from fellow workers and from the end product.
The film explores the negative attributes of repetition whilst
acknowledging the trance like state and spiritual gain that can be
attained through repetition. Origami always begins with a square
of paper, and even after significant transformation can be
unfolded into a square of paper again. The same applies to
knitting and wool. The purpose of the deconstruction is to
suggest the notion of an endless cycle and feeling of
timelessness that is experienced by so many workers.
x equals 36
Allison Regan
At the heart of GTI’s Portfolio Course is an emphasis on core drawing skills. It might initially appear that Allison has moved far away
from such activity when considering her sound installation for x equals. The roots of this audio score lie in recordings of a group of
some twenty people choreographed around the act of sweeping brushes. Allison captures the sounds of brushing against various
materials such as carpet, water, pebbles and sheet metal. These vary in rhythm, pitch and frequency. The recordings are then drawn
through editing software so as to create a haunting soundscape born from these everyday, familiar actions. Yet, Allison is insistent upon
the centrality of drawing to her working process, hence her choice to exhibit preparatory sketches that trace the evolution of her project.
Allison has recently attained a BA (Hons) in Fine Art, specializing in sculpture. She is a co-founder of the First Draught collective whose
activities include a recent group exhibition as part of Project 06. She has also exhibited in 14 Degrees, a video exhibition that has
toured Galway and Cork.
x equals 39
Rowena Sheen
After a while in the National College of Art and Design, Rowena realised that she was no longer interested in studying her original
choice of fashion. She entered the metals and jewellery department and is currently in third year. Third year students are given the
opportunity to participate in the ERASMUS programme which involves working in a foreign city usually within the EU. Rowena is
presently studying in the Academy of Art, Architecture and Design in Prague. Rowena values the independence and stimulation of
an art education and thrives in this active learning environment.
Rowena has submitted a sundial for x equals. Made of silver and roughly 10cm high, the work is a response to a second year
project based on the theme of purity. She chose the circle as her starting point. This simple form led her to investigate the heavenly
spheres. This brought her to the idea of the sundial. Rowena was joint runner up in the National Museum of Ireland Annual Student
Silverware Design Competition. The museum purchased the sundial and it is now in Visible Storage in Collins Barracks.
x equals 38
Gina Ruane
When speaking of her art education, Gina gives an
apt description that is worth quoting at length:
It gives you the necessary tools to creatively and
critically assess and react to your environment and
yourself. It opens a gateway to visceral craving for
knowledge and creativity which for me is life’s
driving force.
The idea of an education suffusing the whole life
experience is one increasingly overshadowed by a
dour pragmatism that tailors education to the
demands of the market economy. This sense of
questioning and an open-minded exploration of
things can be found at the heart of Gina’s work. Her
untitled wall piece consists of 102 small zinc plate
etchings with pen and ink markings trace the
passage of time in the process of their making as if
analogous to an existential search for meaning. Bag
Diaries also embrace chance encounters and the
way of things in recording markings made on small
etching plates that were each placed in her pocket
or bag for one day. Each piece may be viewed as
an attempt to visualize the intangible elements and
flux that underscore our everyday lives.
Gina attended GTI’s Portfolio Course on leaving
school and has recently graduated in Fine Art Print
at GMIT. She is a member of the First Draught
Collective, Lorg Printmakers and has recently
exhibited at Tulca.
x equals 41
Sarah Slattery
Sarah had always loved art in school but she only considered taking the subject further late in her final year.
Only seventeen when she left school she wanted to gain some experience of art and design education before
taking on a third level course. On completion of the art course at GTI she was accepted to Limerick School of
Art and Design. She is currently in her third year of a degree in Graphic Design.
Sarah’s work includes fashion photography, packaging design and advertising photography. All the photography
pieces submitted for x equals have an underlying humour and subversive quality. The fashion photography is
influenced by Manet and his painting Tipsy Woman. Her work also takes heed of the qualities of hand-painted
postcards from the early 1900s. This referencing of past styles remind us of the contemporaneous attitudes
towards women that can be contrasted with present-day settings and their use as fashion photography.
x equals 40
Rosanne Simon
Due to a variety of circumstances,
Rosanne was not able to go to art college
in France when she finished secondary
school there. After many part time jobs in
Ireland, Rosanne became more convinced
that she wanted to have a job which would
be challenging in a creative way. When her
contract ended as a general operative for
ICE Group she took a chance and took a
place on the art course at GTI.
On completion of the course Rosanne was
accepted to colleges in Limerick and at
home in Nantes. She decided to stay in
Ireland and go to Limerick School of Art
and Design and study Graphic Design.
The work Rosanne is exhibiting for
x equals is a ceramic piece called
The Topiarist. This was a design project
where students were asked to represent a
profession chosen at random. As one of
the few jobs she hadn’t done, Rosanne did
not know that a topiarist was someone who
clips shrubs into ornamental shapes.
In her work, the topiarist becomes a hedge.
Are we what we do? This deceptively
intricate piece reflects Rosanne’s quirky
sense of humour and independent
approach to graphic design.
x equals 43
Martin Tiernan
Martin did two years studying civil engineering in GMIT before starting
the course at GTI. Determined to study architecture, he thought that
the art portfolio course would help him achieve this. He went on to do
Architectural Technology in DIT then worked for four years to gain
valuable experience. Martin is currently in 3rd year Architecture in UCD.
For x equals, Martin has submitted work undertaken for the James
Joyce Exhibition building in the National Library in Dublin.
This consists of drawings of two elements of a building design.
Working closely with the Office of Public Works for almost a year, he
saw the project through from design stage to completion.
The two sheets presented illustrate his plans for a fine oak screening
for the ceiling fans and a European oak reading table. This work
demonstrates Martin’s acute attention to detail, his sensitivity to
materials and understanding of the interaction of form and function.
x equals 42
Mairead Spellman
Mairead started the portfolio course straight after school planning with the intention of studying graphic design. Uncertain of her decision
at that time, she left to do one year of an Environmental Science course at the University of Limerick. Richer for the experience, Mairead
chose to go to Dun Laoighaire’s Institute of Art, Design and Technology and was awarded an honours degree in Fine Art in 2006.
Her art qualification enabled her to undertake voluntary work with a community for special needs in Dundrum. Her experience of
facilitating art sessions with these different levels of needs helped to confirm her decision to go on to do a Masters in Art Therapy.
Indeed, Mairead’s motivation for making her own work is to use art as a form of therapy. She endeavours to draw on her subconscious
and her instincts, and in her painting for x equals, organic shapes and swirls are painted across the canvas in vibrant tones. C.G.
Jung's writings on active imagination is a reference point and Mairead believes the subconscious can be accessed through creativity.
Subsequently, that that what is concealed may be revealed. Art therapy uses these processes as an opportunity to understand and treat
psychological disturbance and trauma. Mairead uses this process as a starting point for her own creative output and as a point of
empathy with prospective patients.
x equals 45
Ian Walton
While Ian was certain that he wanted to study Graphic
Design, he was faced with the dilemma whether to
study graphics (2D) or Industrial Design (3D).
GTI gave Ian the space to consider this as well as to
sharpen his drawing skills. To have his older style
challenged and being forced to think afresh through
the experience of drawing is a lesson that still bears
fruit in his current practice. Ian is currently finishing his
degree in Industrial Design at the National College of
Art and Design. His hope is that he can set up an
independent studio collective in Ireland and continue to
build on his established credentials.
Two collaborative projects (with Eoin McNally) have
been selected for the exhibition. The first is the
Glo Pillow, an LED design that gently wakes the
sleeper in contrast to the traditional alarm clock that
shocks the body into action. This was an award winner
for the Royal Society of Art Design Directions in 2006.
The second is a design satisfying the brief Kitchens of
the Future set by the German manufacturer, Miele.
Inspired by environmental issues, notions of self-
sufficiency, and, the importance of aesthetic innovation
at the heart of everyday life, the team have proposed a
fresh approach to the indoor kitchen garden. It consists
of a system providing light and water into which can be
inserted decomposable pots containing seedlings.
The idea is a kind of ‘plug and play’ for plants inspired
by minimalist Scandinavian design.
x equals 44
x equals 47x equals 46
Liam Ward
Bored with working in Boston Scientific, Liam took up drawing as a pastime.
Within a few months, he had applied to GTI with the intention of then
applying to art college. The year was characterized by his joy of meeting like-
minded souls, the challenge of having to work with a wide range of different
media, and by his surprise that a range of opportunities have subsequently
opened up for him. Liam applied to and was accepted onto a degree in Fine
Art Media and Art History at the National College of Art and Design where he
is now on his second year.
Liam has contributed a DVD piece for the exhibition, titled Ascension. In tune
with previous work, it explores notions of death and rebirth through visions of
nature and the human life cycle. The work is a response to his own situation
where his grandfather was taken into the family home to be cared for.
Helen Walsh
Helen always had the intention to study Interior Design and came straight from school to do the course at GTI. She wanted to spend a
year considering other aspects of art and design, learn new skills and to draw breath after the Leaving Certificate. Helen has just
completed her four years of study, gaining a degree in Interior & Furniture Design at Dublin Institute of Technology in Dublin.
The piece Helen is exhibiting for x equals is part of her final year project. Her brief was to choose an existing building and redesign
the interior. She decided to use a building in Galway given the sheer amount of new development in the area. She also required a
building of considerable size as she wanted to express interior design ideas relating to a boutique hotel. The building she chose is
NUIGalway’s Arus Moyola. Helen is presenting proposal and layout sheets for this building’s radical transformation.
x equals 48
Bennie Williams
Bennie had applied for art college on
leaving school but, for one reason and
another, never went. Over the years,
she raised a family in County Clare and
spent much of her creative energy in
gardening, landscaping and stone wall
building. After a break-up and other life
changing circumstances, Bennie
considered visual art once more and
GTI offered her a place. Her experience
of the course was that staff were
extremely flexible, allowing her the time
and space to explore and develop her
artistic abilities. Bennie is now in her
second year of a degree in Fine Art,
specializing in paint.
The joy of just painting is clear to see in
these works on show. They are intimate
landscapes of the area immediately
around her home. Various biographical
features can be found here such as her
red bicycle, a large palm, the ex-
boyfriend’s car and Brucie withering
under the summer heat. These works
do not consciously trace aspects of her
life but rather remind us of the value of
finding simple pleasure in things around
us through the activity of paint.