The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Pilgrimage by Oonagh Devoy
Meffan Museum and Gallery, Forfar, until February 24
Local artist Oonagh Devoy’s new show is inspired by the Angus coastline, presenting something that will be familiar to many visitors to The Meffan in a new and unique way.
Oonagh uses a wide variety of techniques and mediums in her work, from film-making to sculpture, and Pilgrimage showcases works from her Masters show at Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen – where she achieved a distinction last year – as well as new pieces.
Having originally trained in drawing and painting at Duncan of Jordanstone, Oonagh decided to revisit her studies after a hiatus of 20 years. She has been working for Dundee and Angus College since 2001, principally lecturing in contemporary art practice.
The free exhibition includes mixed media pieces constructed from beachfound objects, pinhole photography from beach-combing locations, photograms of found objects and a sculpture of Second World War coastal defence batteries in Orkney.
Oonagh explains: “My inspiration for the Masters was the coastline: the battle between man and sea. The litter we carelessly dump and the erosion of the coastline as the sea fights back.
“Buildings that we have erected to protect our shores in wartime: now delicious crumbling textures, decaying monoliths of forgotten history. The flotsam and jetsam washed up on our shores: litter to some but treasure to me.”
Born in Chatham, Kent, Oonagh very much considers herself a Scottish artist, having lived in Angus most of her life.
She goes on: “Although I still have family down south and visit sporadically it is the Scottish landscape and light that influence my work. Most especially the coastline that is local: Elliot Links, Barry Buddon, the Arbroath cliffs, the beaches from Montrose to St Cyrus and Lunan Bay.”
Oonagh’s parents also live on an island near Orkney called Shapinsay. This, and the surrounding islands, heavily influence her work.
She has a particular interest in Orkney’s Second World War gunning placements and has been documenting their decay for a number of years. She has also made 3D representations out of cement and brass.
In the introduction to her exhibition Oonagh writes: “This is the culmination of two years’ worth of walks and the objects I have collected. Explorations and interactions translated into emotive responses.
“My outcomes are not intended to be pretty, mainstream, or saleable. They are instead a self-indulgent consequence; journeys of discoveries, problem solving and pleasureseeking.”