Serena Colfer is all at sea in Kilmore Quay

AN EXHIBITION of new work by the Wexford artist Serena Colfer, pictured below right, will open this Friday evening, November 17, at 7 p.m. in Coast, Kilmore Quay. and will continue until the end of December. The guest speaker will be the well-known environmentalist Jim Hurley.

Coastlines is an exhibition inspired mostly by the artist’s proximity to Ballyhealy beach along with her forays further afield such as flying a glider over Kilmore Quay and Cullenstown and an artist residency in Cill Rialaig in Kerry.

‘As I am in the fortunate position of living and working on the Wexford coast, I am interested in engaging with the landscape, which is in a constant flux,’ said Serena in a reference to the serious coastal erosion from Ballyhealy to Kimore Quay.

‘Coastlines’ contains paintings, drawings and studies made over a period spanning five years.

‘I explore and respond to stimuli in the landscape, and each new engagement leads to a new understanding of my habitat, made clearer by the process of rendering it visual,’ said the artist.

The larger landscapes are skilfully and painstakingly arranged, with the eye drawn to rhythmic contours; there is a shifting relationship between landscape and the sea with the latter being more possessive. As well as using traditional oil paint, Serena made her own materials from collected driftwood, earth and sand, to create images that incorporate all these elements, transforming the visual, the spatial and the temporal.