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As a member of Cuman na mBan in Co. Longford, my grandmother, Kate McGann, delivered messages to republican fighters in the lead up to the Easter Rising. From her village of Keenagh, she would cycle to meet rebels working in the bogs, carrying messages hidden in the spouts of billycans or her garments. She was later awarded a medal for her involvement in the rebellion. Materials in this painting are suggestive of the bags used for gathering turf, with motifs relating to the topography and road layout around Keenagh townland. The materials are deliberately manipulated on the left of the composition to evoke the clandestine underground activity during this repressive period. Peat,bullets and red paint are burned into the boards to conjure the very real peril associated with such undertakings. On a lighter, more serendipitous note, the artist elected to retain the number 1795 that appear in the composition on the hession material: a random event in the artistic process. However, upon the painting’s reception, this chance occurrence generated numerous ‘misconceptions” or “miscreadings” of the numbers’ significance. Spectators have attributed a range of meanings in relation to possibly charged historical or political events – an accidental, supplementary dialogue thereby emerging between the public and the work. This unforeseen exchange enjoys the additional value of drawing attention to potentially loaded concepts and forms of commemoration and its exercise. Ultimately, the work represents a more personal tribute to the strength and courage of one Irish woman who rose to the challenge of extraordinary times. She quietly fulfilled a critical function in the transmission of information, which could well have cost her life.
This series first saw the introduction of burnt silage foil which I collected in the landscape during my travels, a common sight in rural Ireland. By using a burning process I manipulated the plastic on boards and different surfaces in the form of traditional landscapes highlighting current environmental issues.
Private commission using natural pigments, organic materials, gold leaf and hand made inks. Imagery taken from the original manuscripts of the Brehon Law.
All works on paper and board are part of a current exhibition in 2023/24 which toured different venues in Ireland starting at Siamsa Tire, Tralee Co Kerry and then moving onto Kenmare Buttermarket gallery, Co Kerry An Gailearaí in Donegal and finally the Ballinglen Arts Foundation, Co. Mayo in April 2024.
All works in this exhibition are for sale.
https://www.angailearai.com/exhibitions/2024/cre-believing-earth
Natural ground pigments, bog peat, burnt charcoal, slate quarry dust from Valentia Slate using bog water from the Iveragh peninsula and Oak gall ink from the Derrynane Estate, Co. Kerry 2023
Size 90cm high x 120cm wide
Natural ground pigments, oak gall ink from the Derrynane Estate, Co. Kerry and slate quarry dust from Valentia Slate using bog water from the Iveragh peninsula on hand made paper 2023
Size 90cm high x 120cm wide
Natural ground pigments, bog peat, burnt charcoal, slate quarry dust from Valentia Slate using bog water from the Iveragh peninsula and Oak gall ink from the Derrynane Estate, Co. Kerry 2023
Size 90cm high x 120cm wide
Natural ground pigments, bog peat, burnt charcoal, slate quarry dust from Valentia Slate using bog water from the Iveragh peninsula and Oak gall ink from the Derrynane Estate, Co. Kerry 2023
Size 90cm high x 120cm wide
Natural ground pigments, bog peat, burnt charcoal, slate quarry dust from Valentia Slate using bog water from the Iveragh peninsula and Oak gall ink from the Derrynane Estate, Co. Kerry 2023
Size 90cm high x 120cm wide
Natural ground pigments, bog peat, burnt charcoal, slate quarry dust from Valentia Slate using bog water from the Iveragh peninsula and Oak gall ink from the Derrynane Estate, Co. Kerry 2023
Size 90cm high x 120cm wide
Natural ground pigments, bog peat, burnt charcoal, slate quarry dust from Valentia Slate using bog water from the Iveragh peninsula and Oak gall ink from the Derrynane Estate, Co. Kerry 2023
Size 90cm high x 120cm wide
Natural ground pigments, bog peat, burnt charcoal, slate quarry dust from Valentia Slate using bog water from the Iveragh peninsula and Oak gall ink from the Derrynane Estate, Co. Kerry 2023
Size 90cm high x 120cm wide
Natural ground pigments, bog peat, burnt charcoal, slate quarry dust from Valentia Slate using bog water from the Iveragh peninsula and Oak gall ink from the Derrynane Estate, Co. Kerry 2023
Size 90cm high x 120cm wide
Natural ground pigments, bog peat, burnt charcoal, slate quarry dust from Valentia Slate using bog water from the Iveragh peninsula and Oak gall ink from the Derrynane Estate, Co. Kerry 2023
Size 90cm high x 120cm wide
Peat, Oak gall ink, natural ground pigments and gold leaf and paper on board using a burning process 2023
Size 30cm x 30cm on board
(For sale)
Peat, Oak gall ink, natural ground pigments and gold leaf and paper on board using a burning process 2023
Size 30cm x 30cm on board
(For sale)
Peat, Oak gall ink, natural ground pigments and gold leaf and paper on board using a burning process 2023
Size 30cm x 30cm on board
(For sale)
Peat, Oak gall ink, natural ground pigments and gold leaf and paper on board using a burning process 2023
Size 30cm x 30cm on board
(For sale)
Medium: Peat, Gold Leaf, burnt, turf, wood, straw, PVA and found materials
The triptych under consideration evokes an evocative portrayal of human interventions within the wetland landscapes of Ireland. The inaugural panel of this tripartite composition serves as an emblematic representation of Toughers, delineating Bronze Age pathways perceived as conduits to alternate realms. The succeeding central panel meticulously juxtaposes antiquated and contemporary methodologies employed in turf cutting. An intriguing facet is discernible in a discrete region, subtly hinting at a structure reminiscent of bone, alluding to sepulchral symbolism and ritualistic practices associated with bog sites as gateways to otherworldly domains, imbued with connotations of sacrificial rites and religious veneration. The recurrent application of gold leaf across all three panels signifies the historical retrieval of gold from Irish bogs. The culminating panel, oriented towards the viewer, elucidates contemporary practices via the depiction of a mechanized tractor attachment executing the systematic extraction of turf, thus encapsulating the evolution of turf-cutting methodologies.