Socially Engaged Visual Artist facilitating access to art for people with all abilities with a particular focus on access to art for the visually impaired person in the gallery space and elsewhere.
Artist 2012-present
I have always had an interest in art and dabbled in various art forms down the years. I eventually realised my dream of becoming a full time artist in 2012 when I returned to college and qualifed with a 1st class honours degree in Visual Art. To date I have created five art projects, Seen – Unseen, SÚIL, Bird Feast, Blackberry Jam and Message in a bottle. Four of these art projects are ongoing and one is awaiting completion when the finders of the messages in bottles contact me.
Member of The Biscuit Community
Member of VAI Visual Artist Ireland
Board Member Fighting Blindness 2022
Art Projects in 2022
Seen – Unseen
Seen – Unseen visit to Roscommon Arts Centre Dec 15th 2022
Seen – Unseen visit to Void Gallery Derry Dec 25th 2022
Seen – Unseen visit to The Crawford Gallery Cork Nov 25th 2022
Seen – Unseen visit to Solstice Arts Centre Navan October 21st 2022
Seen – Unseen visit to The Crawford Gallery Cork August 26th 2022
Seen – Unseen goes Racing Raceday at The Curragh August 6th 2022
Seen – Unseen goes Racing Trainers Yard Visit August 2nd 2022
Seen – Unseen visit to The Hugh Lane Gallery Dublin June 24th 2022
Seen – Unseen visit to Void Gallery Derry May 27th 2022
Seen – Unseen visit to The Crawford Gallery Cork April 29th 2022
Seen – Unseen Art Explorations Salvador Dali March 25th 2022
Seen – Unseen visit to Void Gallery Derry February 25th 2022
Seen – Unseen visit to The Crawford Gallery Cork January 11th 2022
SÚIL In the Footsteps of our Emigrants Part 1 Cobh September 10th 2022
BLAST School Residencies 2022
I have been awarded BLAST Artist Residencies in the following seven schools in 2022:-
Ardfield National School,
St. Mary’s National School Enniskeane,
Ballymoney National School,
St. Mary’s Secondary School Macroom,
St. Mary’s National School Rosscarbery,
Clogagh National School
St. Brogan’s College Bandon
Art projects in 2021
Seen – Unseen
Art Explorations for Visually Impaired People December 31 2021
Art Explorations for Visually Impaired People November 26 2021
Art Explorations for Visually Impaired People October 30 2021
Seen – Unseen visit to The Crawford Gallery September 24 2021
Seen – Unseen visit to The Crawford Gallery August 27 2021
Art Explorations for Visually Impaired People July 30 2021
Art Explorations for Visually Impaired People June 25 2021
Seen – Unseen visit to The Crawford Gallery May 28 2021
Seen – Unseen visit to The Crawford Gallery April 30 2021
Art Explorations for Visually Impaired People March 26 2021
Art Explorations for Visually Impaired People February 26 2021
Art Explorations for Visually Impaired People January 21 2021
TAP Teacher Artist Partnership Art Project with Ballinacarriga National School and West Cork Education Centre November 2020 – February 2021
SÚIL 2021 Sculptural Sensory Walk,
SÚIL Lines of Longitude, Rathlin Island, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland September 10th 2021 in collaboration with VOID Gallery and kindly funded by VOID Gallery and The Ulverscroft Foundation
Art projects in 2020
TAP Teacher Artist Partnership Art Project with Ballinacarriga National School and West Cork Education Centre November 2020 – February 2021
Blackberry Jam Art Project on on zoom September – December 2020
Seen – Unseen on zoom November 30th VOID Gallery Derry
Seen – Unseen on zoom November 25th Crawford Gallery Cork
Seen – Unseen on zoom November 6th Crawford Gallery Cork
TAP Teacher Artist Partnership Art Project with Ballinadee National School and West Cork Education Centre February – March 2020
Art projects in 2019
TAP Teacher Artist Partnership West Cork Education Centre and Ballinadee National School
Seen – Unseen visually impaired gallery visits
2019
VOID Derry 26/06/2019
Crawford Gallery Cork 26/05/2019
Glucksman Gallery Cork 13/04/2019
Douglas Hyde Gallery Dublin 30/03/2019
Crawford Gallery Cork 17/02/2019
National Gallery Dublin 27/01/2019
2018
National Gallery Dublin 11/01/2018
National Gallery Dublin 2nd 11/01/2018
Crawford Gallery Cork 12/02/2018
Douglas Hyde Gallery Dublin 07/03/2018
Ikon Gallery Birmingham U.K. 16/04/2018
National Museum & Gallery Birmingham U.K. 16/04/2018
Douglas Hyde Gallery Dublin 21/06/2018
VOID Gallery Derry 08/09/2018
IMMA Dublin 14/11/2018
Crawford Gallery Cork 13/12/2018
Artist Master class
Workshops exploring the access to art in a non-visual way
Glucksman Gallery Cork October 13 2018
Art Projects
SÚIL Harbour to Harbour August 15 2018
A one day timed outdoor art project. This art project involved a participatory sculptural sensorial walk outdoors on Cape Clear Island off the West Cork Coast with 50 participants and 4 crew.
Seen – Unseen 2014- present
Over 70 Gallery visits for visually impaired collaborators to explore art exhibitions in a non-visual way at various galleries throughout Ireland including The National Gallery of Ireland, The Douglas Hyde Gallery, The Crawford Gallery, The VISUAL, The Butler Gallery, IMMA Irish Museum of Modern Art, The Glucksman Gallery, The West Cork Art Centre and The Hugh Lane Gallery in Ireland. 2 International visits including The IKON Gallery and the National Museum and Art Gallery in Birmingham and two cross border visits to VOID in Derry and The MAC gallery in Belfast.
Bird – Feast 2013-ongoing
This is an art project featuring a dinner party for birds including a white tablecloth setting. Observing the birds feeding is uplifting and it offers flight from troubles and worries. Feeding the birds is a very therapeutic exercise and it offers peace in a busy world. The birds deserve a feast for all the joy, peace and enjoyment they offer.
Blackberry Jam 2015-ongoing
This is an art project/workshop featuring a series of blackberry picking outings and a jam making session where participants are encouraged to tap into their sensory experiences of smell, taste, and touch. Participants engage with each other and are invited to experience these sessions in both a visual and non-visual way.
SÚIL series 2013-ongoing
This is an art project series involving a sculptural walk. All the SÚIL series to date have taken place on islands’, Cape Clear Island, Sherkin Island and Antigua Island for the first 4 of the SÚIL series.
Message in a Bottle December 2013 – January 2014
Message in a Bottle was one of two art projects I undertook during a transatlantic voyage from Gran Canaria to Antigua. At various GPS locations along the route I cast 14 bottles, with messages inside, overboard between December 19th 2013 and January 1st 2014. These GPS points were plotted on a marine chart and when the replies arrive, I will plot those GPS points and create a possible route that the messages have traveled on their journey. I have not had any replies to date but I remain hopeful.
Cork Ignite 2014 – 2015
Volunteer Project Assitsant to artist Simon McKeown.
I facilitated the participating artist workshops week (2014) during the Cork Ignite project exploring various types of art making, performance and video mapping under the direction Artist Simon Mc Keown, All participating artists on this project had various forms of disabilitiy. 2014 – 2015 http://www.corkignite.com
Art Space at N.S.C. Campus Mahon Cork 2003-2013 Curator
I created this opportunity to give artists an affordable platform to show their work. I organize up to 4 exhibitions a year in this space. I have a working relationship with artists living and working in Ireland.
- Creative environment for users of N.S.C. Campus with original art in their business environment.
- Established affordable platform for artists to showcase and sell their work in a wonderful working space.