BEAUTY OF WEXFORD
THE KILTEALY ‘ hedge school poet’ Christy Doyle officially opened an exhibition of photographs called When The Tide Goes Out by the Wexford-based photographer Breda Murphy in the Denis Collins Gallery in Rowe Street, Wexford.
This is the first solo exhibition by the Bunclody native who travelled extensively and lived abroad for 20 years. She settled back in Wexford 10 years ago with her two sons, initially living in Rosslare and more recently in Wexford town.
Breda is very conscious of the beauty of the Wexford coastline and regards .
She has always had a passion for photography and a camera is never far from her hands. Although this is her first exhibition, she has always shared her photographs with family and friends.
She is fascinated by landscape, patterns, people, nature and light and when she comes to print her photographs, nature is always a dominant feature. There will be trees, beaches, sand, water, leaves, feathers, shells and mountains, sometimes viewed from afar and often in intimate detailed studies.
The photographs for this exhibition were taken on the Winter Solstice under a clear blue sky with the sun low on the horizon at Rosslare Strand. Breda said that as the tide went out, NEW ROSS STANDARD the sun beams shone on the grains of sand like crystals and patterns were highlighted along the shoreline.
‘I was drawn to these unique and time sensitive patterns as they would surely vanish with the returning tide. I saw these beautiful patterns that nature left and am delighted to share them in these photographs’, she said.
At the launch which was attended by a large group of friends and fellow artists and photographers, Christy Doyle read three of his poems to celebrate Breda’s photographs. The exhibition will continue until Saturday, February 10. THE CONCEPT of movement in a personal and political sense is explored by artist Eilish McCann in an exhibition of printwork called Somewhere to Live which was officially opened in the Presentation Centre, Enniscorthy, last weekend by the writer Peter Murphy.
Eilish, who was shortlisted for the Hennessy Portrait Prize 2017, attempts to highlight the struggles and hardships that come with voluntary or involuntary immigration in contrast to the excitement of travel and adventure.
Eilish is a painter and printmaker originally from Co. Cavan now living in Enniscorthy.
She graduated with a BA from Trinity College, Dublin, in 1995 and completed her education with a diploma in Art and Design from Galway Mayo Institute of Technology in 2001.
Her work was shortlisted for the Hennessy Portrait Prize at the National Gallery of Ireland in 2017 and is currently on show in the National Gallery until February 25 of this year.
She makes drawings, prints and paintings, examining figures, landscapes and scenes and although she uses a variety of media, she has concentrated on prints for Somewhere to Live, which touches on the search for a physical and psychic ‘ home’ and the subjects of migration and exploration.
The exhibition will continue until March 9.