‘Etch a Sketch’ drawings of an adopted Wexford man
THE DENIS Collins Gallery on Wexford’s Rowe Street is presenting a unique exhibition by artist Joel Whybrew who creates drawings using ‘Etch a Sketch’ as well as lion prints and sculptures.
The exhibition running from Saturday, August 20 to Saturday, September 10 will feature about 15 of his mini- masterpieces.
Joel is an illustrator and sculptor from Essex in England and after meeting a Wexford-born girl in London, he moved to the sunny south east in April of this year.
Since moving to Wexford, he has been focusing on his artwork while also being a regular fixture at Fusion Cafe’s open mic nights with his 5-string banjo.
His favourite medium to work with is the classic children’s toy ‘Etch a Sketch’ having discovered his talent for drawing with it a few years ago. Since then he has produced many drawings and even created his own version of the toy which enables him to save his illustrations and print them. After purchasing soaps and candles on North Main Street, he has also carved a series of sculptures based on Irish storytelling.
‘I make artwork because I am inspired by everyday situations, role models, and the occasional hero from popular culture, both past and present,’ he said.
“Etch A Sketch Artist!” will be officially opened with an afternoon of celebration on Saturday 20th August starting at 3.00pm and continuing until 5.30pm.
Gallery owner Denis Collins will introduce the work and speak about Joel’s background. Joel will be there to talk about his work and play a few numbers on the banjo and there will be a showing of “Rainbow Quest - A Present for Pete”, a documentary of Joel’s journey to the USA to present a sculpture to the folk musician Pete Seeger.
Denis Collins extends an open invitation to drop in and see Joel Whybrew’s art and celebrate with him. AN Enniscorthy woman living in Cork has written a book inspired by Hurricane Katrina and set in New Orleans where she went on honeymoon with her husband eight years ago.
Emily Clarke (nee Nolan) who grew up in Cherryorchard and attended Colaiste Brid secondary school, is the author of ‘Cassy’s Voice’ about a black woman and her journey through the storm and into her past.
Emily (38) will be signing copies of the self-published book in Wexford Library on Thursday August 18 at 7 pm and all are welcome to go along.
A daughter of Joe and Joan Nolan who retired from Enniscorthy to Rosslare, Emily is a granddaughter of Florrie and the late Fran Nolan formerly of the Corner Shop in Barrack Street, Wexford.
After leaving school, she worked in the retail business in Wexford for several years including stints in Colman Doyle’s, Curtain Creations, Wigoders in Redmond Square and Arthur Kelly’s.
‘ There was a recession and places kept closing down. I took whatever work I could,’ she said.
She met he husband Navan man Bryan Clarke who was head chef in South 51 and moved to Cork where she became cosmetics manager in Debenhams.
Writing was always a sideline interest ever since she was a child. She self-published a children’s book ‘ The Wandering Dog’ in 2003 with all the sale proceeds going to the mental health charity Aware.
She and Bryan were planning a visit to New Orleans in 2005 but their plans changed when Hurricane Katrina struck and the couple went to California instead, eventually travelling to New Orleans on their honeymoon three years later.
It was while walking through the streets of the city and getting to know the locals that the idea for the book really started to take shape and come to life. She published it first as an e-book for Kindle and then in paper form through Amazon with copies available at Amazon.co.uk. ‘When you have the physical book in your hand, it is an incredible feeling. There is nothing like it,’ said Emily.
Readers can follow Emily on her Facebook page Emily Clarke Author.
Finishing work and starting a family gave her the time to write and she is now working on her second adult book ‘Magnolia Blooms’, also set in the American South. DANCE CLASSES Wexford Arts Centre, every Wednesday from September 7 Dance lecturer at Waterford Institute of Technology Deirdre Grant will hold dance classes every Wednesday at Wexford Arts Centre, starting on September 7, from 6 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. The four-week course of dance movement for adults will include contemporary and somatics techniques for all levels. Full details on www.wexfordartscentre.ie. MINI MAESTROS Wexford Arts Centre, Wednesday, September 7 A weekly music and singing class called Mini Maestros for young children and their parents will resume at Wexford Arts Centre on Wednesday morning, September 7 at 10.30 am. Children will enjoy their first orchestral experience, learning to play in time on a variety of instruments, to sing and to recognise musical notation.The instruments will include drums, bongos, shimes, castanets, maracas, claves, bells, glockenspiel, boomwhackers and piano. Suitable for 1 to 5 year olds, Mini Maestros offers a progressive, fun and interactive curriculum and is taught by trained professional musicians Aileen Donohoe and Peter McCamley. Aileen trained at the Royal Academy of Music in London and is a professional singer and music teacher. Peter is a graduate of Rose Bruford College of Music and Drama and teaches guitar, flute, drums and percussion. INDEPENDENT DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL Kilmore Quay, Friday to Sunday, September 9 – 11 The annual Independent Documentary Film festival will take place in Kilmore Quay from Friday, September 9 to Sunday September 11. The festival is organised by a volunteer committee of film enthusiasts led by Andy McGarry with the help of local and national sponsorship. A number of local film makers will feature, including Michael Fortune and Terence White, while other locally made productions by Wexford-based groups will also be screened. There are also a number of award-winning international films on the themes of Social Justice, Activism and Human Rights. A number of workshops will be held during the weekend, along with after-film discussions. JAMES JOYCE LECTURE Wexford Library, Tuesday, August 16, 7 p.m. There will be a lecture on James Joyce in Wexford Library tonight (Tuesday). ‘Invisible Republic: Joyce and Pearse in 1916’ will be given by Declan Kiberd, literary critic, scholar and Professor of English at UCD and Notre Dame. It has been organised to mark the centenary of 1916 and the publication of Joyce’s ‘Portrait of the Artist’. This lecture will take two figures who are often assumed to be polar opposites, with Joyce cast as cosmopolitan sophisticate and Pearse as zealous nationalist. It will argue that, on the contrary, both men had far more in common than most commentators have cared to admit - in their ideas of art, mythology, education and national identity. On that basis, it will offer a new overview of the meaning of the Easter Rising as an example of modernism in the streets. Telephone 053 9196760 to book your place.