irish craft 2007: the annual craft edition of the "irish arts review" || portfolio 2007

Irish Arts Review

Portfolio 2007Source: Irish Arts Review (2002-), Vol. 24, Irish Craft 2007: The Annual Craft Edition of the"Irish Arts Review" (2007), pp. 18-63Published by: Irish Arts ReviewStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25503667 .

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Portfolio

Furniture Michael Bell Design Furniture Makers

Glasshouse, Vicarstown,

Co. Laois,

Ireland

T:+353 (0)502 25633

E: [email protected] W: www.michaelbelldesign.com

How to contact Michael Bell:

Michael's studio is not open to the

public, but visits can be arranged by

appointment. Please phone for

directions. Michael's work is available

by commission and he is happy to

ship his work worldwide. Michael can

be contacted by phone or e-mail any

day before 8pm In a world of mass production pPilPSlPMB

Michael Bell stands as a furniture ^^^^fl^H

maker whose work is almost entirely ^^S^^^^ done by hand and who allows himself

^^S^Bl^l only the most limited use of power ^HsI^^^^F tools. Bell, who is self-taught, works

WmlS^^? with his design partner Susan Zelouf HlHfl and a team of cabinetmakers to ^w

|B^

produce furniture in solid wood using

traditional techniques. Inspirations i^^^^^^^^? vary from piece to piece and from

B|??^^^^H

variety proving Bell's versatility in his ^^^^^S

medium. The Span Table, which has .^?BSSB

become one of his signature pieces, ^^^^^^^^B* was inspired by one of the bridges ^^^^^^MKr spanning the M50. One of Bell's most

^^^^^^^H remarkable, but least publicised ^^^^^^^B pieces, the fascinating and ^^HHI

^H^^^^H^^H controversial Pentower, a column of

^|H|^^^^^^H five stacked cubes in black walnut

^^^^^H| with a distorted grain to the wood that

H^^mmJ^^^ reflects and refracts the light,

^^ incorporates words and images,

^^^^?????? becoming almost a visual essay on

^^^^^^^^^^H sensuality. Other pieces demonstrate

^^^^^^^^^^r his texture. Hand cleaving timber creates a dramatic textural

^^^^F^ ^.,<| f effect, juxtaposing the rough with the

KB^^^^^^HHb? smooth. An 18-drawer oak cabinet,

B^^^^S^H^H Cleft Chest, features hand-cleft drawer

^HM^^^^^Hh fronts, the surface inspired by the

mP'j^^^^^r \ I textured travertine walls at the Getty ^

,:M^Hf ;' mm Museum, Los Angeles, while the rough

S??E????- &Wi textures on Interior Landscape, a long

MyP;' ?'wf and low coffee table, were inspired by

IIP IP / war-torn landscapes and created with

Michael Bell

18



THE ANNUAL CRAFT EDITION OF THE IRISH ARTS REVIEW 200?

Wood, which floats on water, is a

light medium. In the work of ^^^^^^^

Roger Bennett this lightness is taken ^^B^^^^^^^H to an extreme. His paper-thin bowls

v^m^^^^^^^m. are fine, almost to the point of ^^^^^^^^^^H translucency, and feather-light. ^^^^^^^^^^| Staining the wood has always been an

^^^^^^^^H important aspect of the work and over ^^WBB|N

the years, his colours have deepened

as the work grows in confidence, his

forms becoming more exact. ^^tflSBHM

Bennett's trademark shape is an ^^^^^^HBil^^H

inverted cone, with the rim flaring out ^^^^^HBB^^Î from a narrow base, other bowls are a

^^^^^^^HBBÎ smooth concave shape, textured on

^^^^^^^^H^^^l the outside, designed to fit llilil^^H^^Î comfortably in the hand. Some are

???I?H?^^^^^Î inlayed with silver, the inside of the ^l^^^^^^^l

bowl is scattered with tiny silver dots ^^^^^^^^

in patterns that he describes as

'controlled random'. Bennett is also '

.JHfe^ developing a range of woodturned

w???^m jewellery, which, like his bowls, is

^^^m coloured and studded with precious

^^r metals. 'In terms of my work, I'm still

^ in the same vein, continuing to

develop the jewellery range, and new

patterns of silver in my bowls and

vessels. I've been experimenting with

^^ colouring different woods, especially

^^^^^ beech. I've just got a new lathe, which

^^^^^k will make it easier to create bigger

^^^^^B pieces.' He has been especially

^^^^^ pleased by a couple of recent sales:

^^BT the Japanese Embassy bought one of

^^H| his pieces, and President McAleese

J?^~ presented one of his bowls to the

President of Latvia.

Woodturning Roger Bennett Woodturner

? Kenilworth Park, Dublin 6W

Ireland

T:+353 (0)1 492 2224

E: [email protected] W: www.rogerbennettwoodturner.com

Roger Bennett's work is available from:

Designyard, Dublin, Ireland

Davern & Bell, Limerick, Ireland

Doolin Crafts Gallery, Ballyvoie,

Doolin, Co Clare, Ireland

Elbana Gallery, Dublin, Ireland

Enibas, Schull, Co Cork, Ireland

Joyces Craft Shop, Recess, Co Galway, Ireland

Steensons, Belfast, N. Ireland

Sarah Myerscough Fine Art,

15-16 Brooks Mews, Mayfair, London, UK

Tighnabruaich Gallery, Tighnabruaich,

Argyll, Scotland

The Douglas-Baker Gallery, Suite

100a, Box 44, 225 South Sixth St,

Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402, USA

Emerald Artisans, 110 Forth Street

NE, Charlottesville, Virginia 22902, USA

?x

Roger Bennett^^^^^^?

I19



Portfolio

Ceramics Cormac Boydell Allihies

Beara, Co Cork

Ireland

T:+353 (0)2? 23085

M:+353 (0)82 2332335

E: [email protected] W: www.cormacboydell.com

Cormac Boydell's work is available

from:

Keane on Ceramics, Kinsale,

Co Cork, Ireland

Davern and Bell, Limerick, Ireland

" '"^HIm f ? w-^r ?b

If

Cormac Boydell ever took notice of

the prejudice that everything made in

ceramic must be useful, it was a long

time ago. 'My approach is like that of

painting. It doesn't have to be

functional and it doesn't have to be

washable! What is important to me is a

close relationship with materials, the

enjoyment of art as communication,

and the sense that it has a spiritual

centre. This year I have been turning

down invitations to exhibit my work,

especially one- or two-person shows,

and also I am saying no to most

commissions. I feel the need to work

without expectation for a while. Busily

working for exhibitions and

commissions, I can work myself into a

rut without realising it. It's also good to

. . ?* V'-r-4 **& jiw^^^^^M

Shi ̂̂ ?rjif?/^^^^^^^^fl^te

0 Ir

be free, for a time, from relating pieces

to one another and to the space in

which they will be exhibited. So my

work is at present looking at working

without boundaries, a more childlike,

playful approach. Art and craft carry so

many temptations. The temptation to

fulfil material desires, and fame and

recognition desires too. I really want to

keep my eyes open to that and to be

free of it. I just like working away in

my studio. And what comes out well - I offer for sale.'

Cormac Boydell

20

I~~~~~~~ '.



I I

]

Sculptor Cheryl Brown works with

bronze and cast silver. Her silver

pieces are contained in sheet copper

boxes and her freestanding bronze works

are made as both one-offs and in small

editions. Her early work was influenced

by dance and movement but a trip to

Spain in 2005 saw her change direction.

'It was a conscious decision to take time

off and come back with a body of work. I

went travelling, and when I came back

the work was completely different,' said

Brown. A visit to the bull ring museum in

the ancient town of Ronda proved

inspirational. The beauty of the victorious

matadors and the delicate bull skulls

preserved in cases created strong

images to work with.'My new bird

studies continue to be informed by these

influences but I have also tried to

communicate the fragility of the forms

through texture. In March I was invited by

No?lle Campbell-Sharp to the artists'

cottages in Cill Rialaig in Kerry. They are

dramatically positioned on the cliff edge

at Bolus Head. It is not often you are

given the opportunity to take time out to

observe, draw, and collect visual stimuli.

As a result my new pieces have been

influenced by the textures of the

landscape and wildlife of County Kerry.'

* ;|THE ANNUAL CRAFT EDITION OF THE IRISH ARTS REVIEW 2007 [

Metal Cheryl Brown

Conray, Glencar

Manorhamilton

Co Leitrim

Ireland

M:+353 (0)86 3007453

E: [email protected]

Cheryl Brown's work is available from:

Eblana Gallery, Dublin, Ireland

Mullan Gallery, Belfast, N. Ireland

Keane on Ceramics, Kinsale, Co Cork

Ireland

iL,

Cheryl Brown ^M?V

k^'? m^



Portfolio

Calligraphy Denis Brown

Quill Skill

4 Sandyford Hall View

Dublin 18

Ireland

M: +353 (0)8? 786 699?

E: [email protected] W: www.quillskill.com

Denis Brown's work is available from:

www.quillskill.com. He works mostly to

commission.

fa?^f-.

i//

m/ m

Although calligraphy is typically ink

on paper, a small format medium,

Denis Brown does not always use

paper, nor does he always use ink.

Some of his work involves sheets of

glass engraved with text and layered

one upon the other so that the

meaning of the text is obscured.

'What is left,' he asks, 'if you take the

writing out of calligraphy?' More

recently he has used the lighter

material of Plexiglass to make a piece

on a much larger, almost

architectural, scale. 'It contains a

massive body of text that ironically

was written without ink at all, since it

was engraved. A dark background of

Y m ?dHHH??i? > m???aan, ?????^^M ^?ilP^-*--- ^ ^^b f Jm????????t^ ^^H?^fc , liii^Bar tip

' '- .^?

'] MME MB ?flH^BBB ^|kM j^V W?k***'^ j? f <

??vbbHP I 1IbbbbbbH? %^ ^^BHHlW

Denis Brown

22 5L




ith a background in sculptural

textiles, Sharon Ferguson enjoys

pushing the boundaries of textiles by

using innovative materials not usually

associated with textile and jewellery

practice. She works in textiles and in

plastic carved into shapes, sewn

together, dyed and embroidered.

'Manipulation of materials interests me

and I contrast hard and soft non

precious materials in my jewellery,

which challenges traditional ideas of

how to value jewellery. I think it is

essential that my work is unique

through design, innovation, and

material; and that the making process

identifies it as an art form and not as a

w

production-based work. Each piece is an

individual sculptural object that the

customer buys both to wear and

display.' She is interested in the

relationship between an object of

adornment and the body as its defining

space, and her inspiration comes from

an eclectic mix of interests such as

insects, armour and travel. Placing an

emphasis on her love of the making

process and the importance of

mastering skills, over the past year

Ferguson has worked in various media

ranging from digital and screen printing

to hand and computerised embroidery,

which she will develop for the collectors'

market. She has recently been

commissioned to do a series of textile

pieces for the Ulster Maternity Hospital.

Jewellery Sharon Ferguson 1? Adair Gardens, Cookstown

Co. Tyrone BT80 8PS

Northern Ireland

T:+44 (0)28 86264235

M: +353 (0)85 219516?

E: sharonferguson44@yahoo.

Sharon Ferguson's work is available

from

Copper Moon, Belfast, N. Ireland

www.d-i-v-a.net

? P it

Sharon Ferguson wm



Portfolio

Woodturning Liam Flynn Convent Road, Abbeyfeale Co Limerick, Ireland

T:+353 (0)68 31186

M: +353 (0)8? 610 69 89

E: [email protected] W: www.liamflynn.net

Liam Flynn's work is available from:


Plateaux Gallery, 1 Brewery Square, Tower Bridge Piaza, Butlers Wharf, London SEI 2LR UK

Flow Gallery, 1-5 Needham Road, London W112RP, UK

Sarah Myerscough Fine Art

15-16 Brooks Mews, Mayfair,

London, W1K4DS.UK del Mano, 11981 San Vicente Blvd., W.

Los Angeles, CA 90049, USA

Patina Gallery, 131 West Palace Avenue, Santa Fe NM 82501, USA

Carlin Gallery, 93, rue de Seine, ?5006 Paris, France

Liam Flynn's Hollow Form Vessels

are made in hardwoods, primarily in

oak, a wood with a strength and

resilience particularly suited to his

requirements. The wood is turned in its

green, unseasoned state; the shifting that occurs as it dries adds to the form

of the finished piece. His recent

Ebonized Oak with Red series is a

continuation of the Inner Rimmed

vessels but moves away from the

intensively carved pieces. The inner rim

is painted red with flashes ofthat colour

appearing in random scores on the

exterior of the work. His Barrel Forms

utilise a harsher repertoire of shapes

than previous work and, although

physically very light, appear hefty,

almost monumental.'Determining that the base is the widest part of the piece

goes against the rules for elegant pots,

but I'm using the subtle movement of

the material to energise the line.' Flynn's

Still Life series shows a juxtaposition of

two pieces, often in contrasting woods.

They have grace, and also a frozen

strangeness. 'It is an exercise in control

over how the objects are to be viewed

and how the two pieces relate to each i

other. In a way it is as if the work is

being framed. The first ever Still Life I

made is now part of the permanent

collection of the Woodturning Centre

in Philadelphia.'

?PSiytf? Liam Flynn

24



?THE ANNUAL CRAFT EDITION OF THE IRISH ARTS REVIEW 2007

The

sleek and simple ceramics of

Sara Flynn stem from a love of the

process of throwing, a fascination with

the theme of the vessel, and an

ongoing relationship with porcelain.

'I'm still working with porcelain, and

will be doing so for the foreseeable

future. It's definitely my favourite

material, and one which presents

great challenges so that I'm never

bored. The new work is also still

centred on the vessel, but moves even

further away from function as the

driving force. The pieces are thrown

and while still extremely fresh, are

then pushed, pulled, cut, and

reassembled to form the contours,

curves and crevices on the finished

form. Glazes for this work so far are in

^M$mm

metallic blacks and browns with a

vellum finish accentuating the curves.'

Another body of work with more

simple alterations explores group

dynamics and clusters or families of

vessels. The cut pieces tend to sit

alone, although Flynn imagines that

the future may offer opportunities to

present these too in multiples. These

bodies of work have been selected to

go to SOFA in November with the Crafts

Council of Ireland, and Flynn is

interested to see what the reaction to

the work will be in the USA.

Ceramics Sara Flynn Ceramics

Hannah's Cottage, Gurteenaduige

Leap, West Cork

Ireland

T:+353 (0)28 34566

M: +353 (0)8? 2846980


W: www.saraflynnceramics.com

Sara Flynn's work is available from:

Bridge Gallery, Dublin, Ireland


Narrow Space, Clonmel, Co Tipperary, Ireland

Etain Hickey, Clonakilty, Co Cork, Ireland

M

Sana Flynn v

^Hy

'1

25



Portfolio

Furniture Forde Furniture Design

Westport Road

Castlebar, Co Mayo Ireland

T:+353 (0)94 9021?42

M:+353 (0)8? 4115291


Noel Forde's furniture is available

from:


He also works by commission.

?

Furniture designer Noel Forde has

developed a style of thoughtfully

composed furniture with an emphasis

on inlays and on semi-concealed

design details. The pieces show an

awareness of contemporary design,

but are also in tune with the heritage

of traditional craftsmanship. Forde,

who worked for twenty years in

professional woodwork, established

himself as a furniture designer in

Canada and the US before returning to

Ireland. His simple and elegant

furniture is made for both residential

and commercial interiors and is

flexible in style, depending on his

;*- -

k^ -'

clients' needs. Since most of his work

is client based and site specific, Forde

sees each piece as designed in

$m> ̂^m^??M

^^s^r

tandem with the client. 'The process of

collaboration helps to refine the

designs and the materials. A piece that

is made in this way becomes an

expression of the client's individual

style. I have also started a line of

jewellery boxes in yew wood, which I

hope to concentrate more on in the

future. In making them I incorporated

the natural edge of the wood: the

sapwood, which is light in colour, and

heartwood, which is dark. The lid is

frame and panel construction, with

the panel in rosewood, again using

the heartwood and sapwood to give

a contrast.'

^jf t Noel Fonde Km i_

_26



The

evocative tapestries and hand

tufted rugs of Gillian Freedman

have something almost childlike in

the simplicity of their design and their

rough but harmonious surfaces; they

have the naivety of folk art, but are

also sophisticated.

Freedman works in a variety of

materials - linen, cotton, wool, paper,

silk and organza. Often she will draw

or paint an idea that in turn becomes

a series of small woven tapestries.

These can sometimes evolve into

much larger tufted pieces, functional

art pieces for floor or wall. As an artist

she intends to allow herself to

progress at her own rate. 'I intend to

return to painting for a while, to try to

bring my tapestries closer to the

painted work on paper and to exhibit

painted and textile work together. I

also hope to experiment more with

paper silk and linen yarns in my

tapestries, and perhaps make them

more three-dimensional in time.

The United States is still the best

market for collecting tapestry pieces,

but I will continue to seek

commissions in Ireland. Some of

my small tapestries are at last

selling in the Eblana Gallery in

Baggot Street, Dublin. The public is

still very slow to purchase textile

work in Ireland but there are a few

good collectors out there!'


/ / / / '

Ml' II

\ Ul II I

f?A!f?

Textiles Gillian Freedman

13 Appian Way Dublin 6,

Ireland

T:+353(0)16?6??82 E: [email protected]

How to contact Gillian Freedman:

Gillian Freedman works only to commission.

f

Gillian Freedman ^H^l

- 2?



Portfolio

\

I ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Metal Seamus Gill Silversmithing and Jewellery Studio 21, The Tower

Pearse Street

Dublin 2

Ireland

T:+353(0)16??5?01 M:+353 (0)86 2341204

E: [email protected] W: www.seamusgill.com

Seamus Gill's work is available from:

DesignYard, Dublin

The work of Seamus Gill reinterprets

the traditional forms of 18th- and

19th-century table top silverware: the

candelabra, the vase and the

candlestick. The pieces are most

remarkable for their uncomplicated,

elegant and fluid forms, many of which

are based on the opposing curves of

anticlastic raising. Each piece is made

from a single sheet of silver cut,

shaped, and formed into a three

dimensional object, then delicately

hammered into shape so that light

reflects from slightly irregular surfaces

showing the pattern of tiny hammer

marks. Gill is also significant for his

Free Form series, in which the sheet of

silver is scored and folded around itself

into volumes that have a more

geometrical feel, often loosely based

on triangular shapes. It is the work of

an artist who has come to grips with

his medium and is at the stage of

maturity that he's ready to have a little

fun with it. Earlier this year one of his

signature style Silver Watering Cans

was selected for the International

Silver Triennial, an exhibition that tours

Germany and the Netherlands with

over 200 pieces by silversmiths from

nineteen countries. This autumn his

work will feature in a series of craft

programmes broadcast on TG4.

^^^H ???pi-;-; I \J Lbb^B

'

^*\y Seamus Gill a"

28




The Ulster artist Karl Harron

specialises in one-off designs and

limited edition series in kiln-formed

and blown glass. Having trained in

Oxford under Paul San Casciani, Dutch

glass fusing artist Frank Van Den

Ham, and with Gil Reyolds in the

United States, Harron is now based in

County Down. His complex and

emotive pieces include fused glass

vessels, bowls, platters, and

sculptural forms, often using opaque

glass, painted, engraved, and

fHHHB|HHHj|tt^f|v

BHHHI^Hr??R-^

polished. 'I aspire to evoke the

simplicity of space by investigating

the relationship between landscape

i ? * ?

?UPPi#l^ ''

and nature, giving shape to this

intimacy through the reactive

interface of specific glasses when

fused together. Personal emotions

and memories are further explored by

the development of translucent tonal

qualities within the glass, expressing

the concept of space defining form or

visual texture. By incorporating

extensive cold-working techniques

and the fire-polishing of individual

pieces, which ultimately both

enhances and distorts these

emotions, I aim to refine the senses

of the viewer, enabling them to

appreciate the subtle layering of my

work.' Harron has been invited to take

part in the prestigious SOFA

(Sculptural Objects Functional Art)

Exposition in Chicago where his work

will continue to explore the interplay

of nature and the landscape.

Glass Karl Harron Glass Studio

11 Ballyblack Road, Loughries,

Newtownards, Co. Down, BT22 2AP

N. Ireland

T: +44 2891 81?633

F: +44 2891 81?633

M: +44 ?9?9 365829

E: [email protected] W: www.theglasstudioireland.com

Karl Harron's work is available from:

For a list of outlets and galleries that

display Karl's work, visit his website.

www.theglasstudioireland.com

Karl Hannon\

JT h I 29

/



??) Portfolio

Furniture Stevan H?rtung

Coillbheag, Kylebeg

Blessington Co Wicklow

Ireland

P:00 353(0)45 86??02

E: [email protected] W: www.stevanhartung.com

How to contact Stevan H?rtung: Stevan works to commission and for

exhibitions only

,1 *&?&

B?*3:--".- . .-:.:--.-

. '

"i' \Mn ' ' " m m l '"'? wi^iwwpwwptpwwpiii

.s :

r.-' j|p-r?

Wm ;i.)' t-.'! ' i ; . f

IKlfiliP? ?i ?fi1 R? iflra?MBP

" -fil 'i%-

' Hf3p???iii

^K?^B^^HkI? ?l Bf

Stevan H?rtung originally trained as

a product designer but an interest

in furniture-making led him to an

apprenticeship in Berlin in 1994. Here

he encountered the ideas of the

cabinetmaker James Krenov, who has a

very direct relationship with wood as a

material and with the processes that

shape it. H?rtung, who had travelled

widely in Asia, is also influenced by the

simplicity and coherency of Oriental

crafts and has received a number of

large-scale commissions for Buddhist

temples across Europe. 'I am always on

the look out for unusual or rare pieces

of wood, as these are often the

inspiration for my work. Generally I

'ft

attempt to use native hardwoods,

which reflect the climate and soil they

have grown in, but I have recently

begun to use more exotic timbers such

as solid macassar ebony and rosewood,

as well as combining solid wood with

coloured hand applied lacquer finishes.

I am also interested in simplifying the

forms of cabinets and tables,

condensing the visual language to its

component elements of line, shape,

colour, and texture. I have recently

begun to experiment with the use of

shadows and spaces within cabinets as

integral parts of their design. I see my

future work continuing to concentrate

on cabinetry, with some larger pieces

and some small jewel-like cabinets in

precious and unusual woods.'

-t|S?| Stevan H?rtung

(

I

_30




<A*?

w*

Nicola Henley's textile pieces are

made by a combination of dying,

painting, and screen-printing cotton

calico and texturing the surface with

various materials such as hand-made

Japanese paper and silk stitching. Her

work is composed by studying birds; by

watching and drawing their motion she

aims to capture a sense of scale and

movement within space. Her interest in

birds was sparked by a visit to Cape Clear

Island as a student. Stranded at an

ornithological centre due to stormy

weather, she started drawing peregrine

falcons moving across the landscape and

was captivated by 'that small jewel-like

being with all that space around it'.

In recent years her work has developed cv%3 KiSk **

^^HB?P %^"Bi the theme of birds in motion and their

;^!^?F ;* ^^BBi ^^41 relationship to sea and sky, in l,**' J^' -^? ^MP^ ?J?H i?

particular how this motion interacts ! ,^??$$fe** ? fl?i ^ ^

la with the energy of waves and air I '?^ JJUpBjBS?l** HfP st??? currents. In Henley's work the change \

\?j&^ \ p-^V ??l^^H of scale from bold printing and painting L <- ?,-?*?** M R""-' "^J?^B^I to the intimacy of close stitching helps ;; TjEj^..

"' ^?1^?!^^'

to convey the concept of near detail [ J.*

1'" ? *|,.'.r B?*^^^

'

within an open space of a landscape or , ", k :;if "

f ?- ||&:W "| ?

"

seascape. Her latest pieces aim to I >t - %^??(^t*) %^-M? %./'>,

capture the sense of spiritual liberation 7 ̂ ijIBj' |,,: ^ fe^f^f J that we search for in contrast to the .>'/'% ""''"?! **

II?O?I?a'-^''"

physical, conformist world in which we !'?Mfr?L^'?lM It?mUM

''

are trapped. She moved to Ireland in ! .^ "S?r'P- HHIlBKkf^' 1991 and now lives and works in fflfe ^^Xi^i 1 ̂B^^ ^H??'

Textiles Nicola Henley Coolawn

Tuamgraney

Scariff, Co Clare

Ireland

T:+353 (0)61 921411

M:+353(0)8?6?35111 E: [email protected]

W: www.nicolahenley.com

Nicola Henley's work is available from:

The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland

The Guinness Gallery, Dublin, Ireland

Kenny Gallery, Galway, Ireland

Nicola Henley WB?^

31



Portfolio

Basketry Joe Hogan Loch na Fooey

Finny, Clonbur

Co Galway Ireland

T:+353 (0)94 9548241

E: [email protected] W: www.joehoganbaskets.com

Joe Hogan's work is available from:

Glynsk Hotel, Cashel, Co Tipperary, Ireland

Craft Gallery, Connemara, Co Galway, Ireland

Joe Hogan's work is also available direct

from his workshop

^

N

Joe Hogan, over the last thirty

years, has almost single-handedly

turned the Irish basket into an art

form. He is a master of traditional

forms and techniques, but has

recently become known for innovative

basketry. Some baskets include the

willow catkins, their delicate furry

shapes softening the lines of the

wood so that it looks as if the basket

is an element of the growing tree.

Others are built around twisted and

weathered bits of wood, often bog

pine, used in combination with willow.

'Some of last year's work was based

on the principle of a frame basket

where the timber was at least

partially covered, but I found that the

pieces of timber that I was drawn

towards were often irregular and were

not suited to this technique, so I

made several baskets where the top

of the basket consists of wood pieces

lashed together, and then I drill holes

in the wood and make the basket

upside down in the manner of a

traditional donkey creel. It's an

example of how a very traditional

technique can often solve a technical

difficulty in a non functional setting.'

???-ssa^^^

Hogan has also begun to make

baskets using the holes that develop

on trees when branches are cut and

'm

3r??r ~ t??^mr

'""'fil n?Mf ?iK

the wound subsequently heals, and

would like to make more of these if he

can source suitable timber.

Joe Hogan

m

i

_32




?>

?????Pf*'-:

?#

%$> *&

Although Nuala Jamison's jewellery

often uses artificial materials,

principally acrylic, the pieces have a

strangely organic feel and take their

inspiration from simple natural

shapes like beach pebbles. The acrylic

is cut, filed or carved into rough

shapes and then barrelled with

pumice over several weeks to achieve

a soft, matt surface that echoes the

natural weathering of stones on the

fh*9f .

beach. 'A lot of gold and silver is very

dull. People have been working with

it for thousands of years, and it's

difficult to use it in a way that is

different without being derivative. If

you look back far enough into history

you find that people used to make

jewellery out of all sorts of things.'

Colour is very important in Jamison's

work. She uses a specially developed

dye that imitates the effect of

ivW

watercolour on the clear acrylic. 'I

use a lot of fluorescent colour, and

I combine them with frosted plain

colours that cool it down. In some

pieces I use red acrylic juxtaposed

with clear. Acrylic has refractive

qualities that glass doesn't have

and the colour seems to jump from

one piece to the other. It has a

magical quality - now you see it,

now you don't.'

Jewellery Nuala Jamison

Dromataniheen, Durrus, Co Cork

Ireland

T:+353 (0)2? 61538


Nuala Jamison's work is available from:


Enibas, Schul!, Co Cork, Ireland

Contemporary Applied Arts, London,

England Crafts Council Gallery Shop, London,

England Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland

Julie Artisans Gallery, New York, U.S.A.

Mobilia Gallery, Boston, MA, U.S.A.

Arai Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

Nua,a Jamison

^

33



Portfolio

Ceramics Jane Jermyn Tin Shack Ceramics

West Main Street

Lismore, Co Waterford

Ireland

M:+353(0)8?218?962 E: [email protected]

W: www.janejermynceramics.com

Jane Jermyn's work is available from:

Directly from the artist

Manifesto, Waterford, Ireland

Ardmore Pottery, Ardmore,

Co Waterford, Ireland

Miriam Bailey Gallery, Bandon,

Co Cork, Ireland

Felix Faulkner Gallery, Tallow,

Co Waterford, Ireland

Nuada, 1022BW Armitage Avenue,

Chicago, IL60614, USA

^^^^^^^H BB?i?film I ffW^Blg&r lane Jermyn started her career

^^^^^^^H ShH^^^K '" ^"ffwfe' v <late' m life- 'I was forty-four before

^^^^^^^H hI^^^^H JMJj^SyJ^K I started studying. Initially I wanted to

^^^^^^^H N^^^^^B' iJ^^BrfffJM as a Productlon potter, but

^^^^^^^H HH?^^^HI lffiSffi*^JftgP shortly after starting to work in clay I

^^^^^^^H J^Kb^^^B B^iSBBwK discovered that it was a fantastic

^^^^^^^H ^HH^^^H fa^mBBiWE: medium of expression and had far

^^^^^^^^B ^HH^^^H^' nS?fSSrosfli more possibilities than I'd first

W^^^^^^^? ^Hltil^^Hul l^JtWJtaSfflBlB realised.'Since then she has combined

fl^^^^^H H^^BE fiHreglHBI the two loves of her life - clay and

^^^^^^^^B <m^KK?^^Hm nmBmwIKa travel. Some of Jermyn's most recent

^^^^^^^1 ^^^H^^Bl aMJFKaBBB work began as response to time spent

^^^^^^^H '^^Bmm^Km SHRPISDIb in Australia. The pieces are hand-built,

^^^^^^^^1 ^Hhh^^Hh iSKIK?BSB using Scarva flax-paperclay and are

^^^^^^^H ^l9^Kf^^H alB8WBt^8 decorated using copper carbonate to

^^^^^^^H HBMm^hI BBH^BBS^jl emphasise the surface textures. The

^^^^^^^^B S^HiilllNH BJM?^BffiB inspiration comes from the natural

^^^^^^^H W^9SSlHf BHftl?l?IsJw world-geological formations, strata,

^^^^^^^H flHli^Hi Kra&BKaKSi and textures.'I do not plan my work as

^^^^^^^^1 B^mBMWI? ffifif?S* E?B'* such, except in the broadest sense -

^^^^^^^^P j|ftut4KrWw, ^MgS^BH**r evaluation of previous work leads on

tBwj^KBtt t0 new ldeas ~ decisions are intuitive, and I enjoy the spontaneity of working

in this way. The outcome can only be

Jane Jermyn

_34



Ithe annual cr

^^?4'

The jewellery of Berina Kelly, made

in precious metals, including fine

silver, eighteen carat gold, precious,

and semiprecious stones, carries a

subtle fineness of emotion. Although

she works a lot with the square her

lines are never rigid and she is more in

tune with the organic than the

architectural. 'I'm currently developing

new work for SOFA 200?. It's a

continuation of work that I have done

before, but the ideas behind it are

broader. I am interested in lifecycles

and in imprinting; how it can change

the way that a personality develops, in

positive and negative ways, and the

lines that people draw to protect

?FTErjTnONOFTHHr^^

themselves. The use of line in my work

is about protection; the texture of the

surfaces about the elements of

ourselves that we protect. They are

wearable pieces. Some of the long

neckpieces look quite fragile, which is

about something that I am

communicating, although in physical

terms the pieces are robust. They are

stronger than they look.' As a result of

her selection for Portfolio in 2005,

Kelly was invited to participate in an

exhibition at The Stour Gallery,

Warwickshire, and she is interested to

see the reaction of the US market to

the collection that she has designed

for SOFA 2007.

Jewellery K.O.S.

Nile Lodge, Lower Salthill

Galway, Co Galway Ireland

T:+353 (0)91 584381

M:+353 (0)8? 242863?

E: berinakelly@yahoo.

Berina Kelly's work is available from:

Kilkenny Shop, Dublin, Ireland

Elements, Blackrock, Co Dublin, Ireland

Kylemore Abbey, Connemara, Ireland

Steensons, Belfast, N. Ireland

Seoidin, Limerick and

Hugh Statham, Naas, Ireland

Westgate Design, Wexford, Ireland

Kneisel Jewellers, Waterford, Ireland

John Lewis, London, UK

AJ&&I

., . ;i;?tsK-??/???^M^|?M^j^j|^^^^^M^KL



Portfolio

Furniture Klimmek and Henderson Furniture Ltd

6n Greenogue Ind. Est.

Rathcoole, Dublin 24

Ireland

T:+353 (0)1 45898??

F:+353(0)145898?2

M:+353(0)862408330 W: www.klimmek-henderson.com

Knut Klimmek's work is available from:

Bellissima, Bandon, Co Cork, Ireland Although

many of the pieces of

furniture that transcend the

barrier between art and craft loose

some of their usefulness in the

process, this is not the case with the

furniture of Knut Klimmek, who

designs pieces in which materials are

m

rigorously tuned to match function

with form. As a furniture maker -

Klimmek and his partner Nigel

Henderson design and manufacture

one-off furniture for corporate and

private clients - he takes

functionality as the overriding

principal, as he feels that objects that

do what they are designed to do well

will be valued by the customer. For

him show joints, mouldings, and

decorative materials are not there to

impress orto add visual complexity.

They also need to make sense in the

overall design of a piece. Neither is a

piece built in isolation, but with a view

to its intended surroundings. 'We

involve and guide each client through

every aspect of a project, from

conceptualisation to material

selection and design development.

For many customers commissioning a

piece of furniture is a leap of faith, so

we have learnt to make the process

as transparent and effortless as

possible.' Klimmek and Henderson

have been commissioned to make

office furniture for the Minister for

Arts and Culture, and their work is

housed in the National Museum,

Collins Barracks.

lifl||||M

Knut Klimmek

_36



THE ANNUAL CRAFT EDITION OF THE IRISH ARTS REVIEW 2007

Richard

Kirk makes vases, bowls,

spoons, decorative bowls and

jewellery in silver, gold, gold leaf and

wood. Often the inspiration for the

design process is drawn from the

materials; bringing a vase to life with

translucent gold leaf or the unexpected

combination of bamboo and gold. 'At

the moment I'm making some quite

large pieces in pure silver, which is

softer and can be distorted further

than sterling silver. I'm also still

making bowls and vessels with

integrated spoons - the spoons are

functional but are also part of the

design. Although I've not had any

direct sales or commissions through

the Portfolio, I had previously been

introduced to Lina Falkesgaard of

Galerie Tactus, who now acts as my

agent in Denmark and the USA. I have

had an excellent response to my work

in the USA, which is quite unfamiliar

with European contemporary silver and

is a notoriously difficult market to

gauge and one has to be obstinately

single-minded. The people who buy

silver like to take their time, to come

back and see something before they

make a decision, and they always like

to negotiate the deal. It's not easy

because when you're working in silver

and making everything by hand you

don't have a lot of room to manoeuvre

on the price.'

Metal Richard Kirk - Designer 1 Park Parade, Lisburn

County Antrim BT2? 4AJ

Northern Ireland

T:+44 (0)28 9266 8313


Richard Kirk's work is available from:

Galerie Tactus, Stavangergrade 6, DK 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark

R ia r, d Kirk

'71 : X E " W

;t I I 37



({?) Portfolio

Glass Peadar Lamb Stained Glass

Mill Lane Studios

Glenside Industrial Estate

Mill Lane, Palmerstown

Dublin 20

Ireland

T:+353 (0)1 6236685

M:+353(0)8?2?l??82 E: [email protected]

W: www.peadarlamb.com

How to contact Peadar Lamb:

Peadar works to commission and for

exhibitions only

?

1

ir:

Peadar

Lamb makes one-off light

boxes and stained glass windows.

As part of a strong tradition of Irish

artists who work in stained glass,

Lamb acknowledges the influence of

the painterly artist Evie Hone rather

than the more famous Harry Clarke.

His own pieces are contemporary,

both in character and content,

although the techniques that he uses

have changed little since the 11th

century. But, Lamb admits, the

process of working in stained glass

carries an element of contradiction.

'On one hand it's a contemporary

medium; on the other there's always

that resonance with the past. Stained

glass is a slow and laborious medium

to work in. It's like making a film -

you know what you want, but it takes

a long time to get there.' Some of his

pieces are not only about the window,

but also about the landscape beyond

the window. In some of his site

specific work, Lamb leaves large

areas of glass virtually unpainted so

that what the viewer sees beyond the

glass becomes part of the picture. His

more personal pieces, and many of

his commissions, are made into

lightboxes which can be hung

anywhere, like a painting but with the

added dimension of light.

Peadan Lamb

_38




As

an artist Sonja Landweer has

worked in many mediums. She

was the first Irish ceramicist to

exhibit in a fine art gallery; one of the

first members of the Aosd?na. In

1982 Seamus Heaney wrote of her

ceramics that: 'It is useless to give <

word pictures of her work, its fluent '

marriages of glazes, it's suggestions

of the afterlife of earth, fire and

vegetation, its shapes at one place

charged like a fattening seed,

at another place in full and

delicate flower. Each piece is HH a sculptural form in its own

^^H right, the result of a unique ^^H creative action. It has been

^^H invested with inner hopes

^^^

and blessings, insists on its own

individuality, its own space, and

stands free and declares itself simply

and irrefutably as a work of art.'

#v, <

Landweer also pioneered designs for

textiles, fashion accessories and

jewellery-making, using beads, slate,

wood, paper, feathers, bone, leather,

and knotted monofilaments. Her

knotted jewellery surrounds the

wearer with a gentle haze of

thorns, ceramic beads, and

feathers that seem laden

with esoteric meaning.

Others are like drifts of

horse hair in the purest

white. Her most recent

work explores sculptural

bronze pieces relating to

seed forms and the

alchemical magic of

patination.

Metal Sonja Landweer

Jerpoint House

Thomastown

Co Kilkenny Ireland

T: +353 (0)56 ??24325

Sonja Landweer's work is available

from:

Peppercanister Gallery, Dublin, Ireland

Sonja Landweer -9



Portfolio

Textiles Bemie Leahy Stitched Drawings Station Road

Lusk, Co Dublin

Ireland

T:+353 (0)1 8430042

M:+353 (0)8? 9459105


W: www.efiberart.com

Bernie Leahy's work is available from:

www.efiberart.com and through various

exhibitions. Please contact Bernie

directly for details of any upcoming exhibitions.

7?*"4-*L

Bernie Leahy's embroidered

drawings are executed in a

combination of free machine and hand

stitching, using use the thread as a

drawing tool. Her work consists of

stitched drawings, executed in black

thread on an unbleached canvas

ground; currently much of her work is in

black and white. Leahy is involved with

embroidery as non-decorative mark

making. The defined line or mark often

delineates the space around the forms,

allowing them to emerge out of a

tangible ground. 'I am interested in

embroidery as mark making; as

undecorative and defined line. The mark

often delineates the space around the

forms, allowing them to emerge out of a

tangible ground. The defined line has a

hole or point from which it decidedly

begins or ends.' Her subject matter is

often the portrait, used to convey

fleeting moods, glances, moments.

These drawings try to capture a

moment in time, to convey the

essence of the subject, and often

show only essential fragments of the

image. Leahy is also developing

stitched sculptures, using materials

such as Irish slate, linen, light, and

thread, with colours based on paint

studies taken from the landscape. A

wall piece comprises two flat panels

of Irish slate; emerging from between

them a sliver of iridescent embroidery

is executed in hand-dyed threads.

Bennie Leahy

1

_40




Driven by a desire to create work

that some day may be interpreted

as timeless, Robert Lee explores the

delicate and translucent properties of

porcelain through simplicity and

repetition of form. He plays with

decoration, the sudden delivery of thick

HS WEM

' ' l?^M??^^^^^^^^K?

slip upon the pot's plastic surface and

its effect upon the form and finish. Lee

uses responsive celadon and tenmoku

glazes -jade green, black, and cream -

which have an extraordinary ability to

absorb light and to transform with its

ebb and flow. He has recently begun to

sell his work in groupings and found

that, when displayed together, they

become more than the sum of their

parts. 'It's not something that I could

have planned or predicted, but when

the pieces were displayed in a group it

became immediately obvious that they

responded to each other and that

became a direction.' Many aspects of

his work - the irregularity and

asymmetry - are strongly influenced

by his studies in medieval Japanese

ceramics. 'Rather than being drawn just

to the 'look' of Japanese wares, I've

been deeply influenced by the

Japanese way of throwing and

decorating. The more I learned from

Japanese culture, the more I

questioned my approach to ceramics.

I began to loosen up and trust my

instinct.'

Ceramics Robert Lee Ceramics

Gallery and Studio

Durrus Road

Ballydehob, West Cork

Ireland

M: +353 (0)8? 1221903


W: www.robertleeceramics.com

How to contact Robert Lee:

Robert's work is available through his

website and he also works to

commission.

Robert Lee JflHI

_41



Portfolio

Woodturning Glenn Lucas woodturning

Flanderscross, Garryhill

Bagenalstown Co Carlow

Ireland

T:+353 (0)59 9?2?0?0

F:+353 (0)59 9?2?0?0

M:+353(0)86 2?66841


Glenn Lucas' work is available from:

M The Bridge Gallery, Dublin, Ireland

The Kilkenny Design Centre, Kilkenny, Ireland


Eblana Gallery, Dublin 2

Fortnum & Mason, London, UK

Simon Pearce Outlets, New York,

Vermont, Philadelphia, USA

Although

woodturner Glenn Lucas

has a successful production

turning business, he has also gained a

reputation for elegant and minimal

gallery pieces, executed with such

precision that they could almost be

made by machine. These reflect the

purity and sophisticated restraint of

Japanese forms, but also the simple

r

warmth of Scandinavian design. For

these one-off pieces Lucas uses rare

and exotic woods such as bog yew,

purple heart, cherry, and maple. He

imposes a clear and simple design on

the wood, the pieces tending towards

gently curving planes in which the

naturally elaborate grain of the wood

contrasts with the restraint of the

form. Sometimes his pieces are split

and then rejoined by a ladder of

stainless steel, so that the two wooden

leaves seem to open like the pages of a

book. The use of metal with the wood

increases the feeling of tension within

the curving piece, and makes it feel

more engineered than crafted. Other

pieces, like Lucas' turned Gull Wing in

bog yew and Square Edged Vessel with

Foot in cherry have no metal element,

but follow clear and immaculate

curved forms.

I

Glenn Lucas

_42

\




^ . :. . ->l * -.4.V > **' ? >V\

r t. ?

^

The jewellery of Erika Marks has

always been influenced by the

work of ancient civilisations.

Traditionally she has made large

wearable and gallery pieces -

brooches depicting different

constellations in the night sky. A

recent new direction stems from an

B^*

incursion into the realm of larger,

functional silverware. 'Although I was

enjoying the work I found there was

something missing in the production of

purely functional, albeit silver objects.

It occurred to me while researching

antique ladles and spoons that many

of the pieces I was looking at made no

P*.' '%,

M ...-. \ #$ ^v-v' 4 ' '*' ̂ xx**"-vW

' "IF

v>?.'\ . o'-x;;^. i^

'^gg|*arri i .> i j ??aCi t , > s -

'"^'J^ggjjgF

sense to me at all until I read the

description of the objects: 18th

century scoops for measuring the

cream content of milk, marrow scoops,

medicine spoons ... I decided to make

objects that held out the promise of

having a function but in fact were

entirely useless (except aesthetically,

of course!).' The series, with the

working title of'Spunes' has added an

injection of humour that she feels was

previously missing from her work. 'I'm

currently making a large collection of

these objects to show at SOFA in

November, following a successful

submission earlier in the year. I'm

finding it very stimulating work, and

am enjoying it more than anything I've

done for many years!'

Jewellery Erika Marks

Longford House

Lough Bran Cottages Carrick-on-Shannon

Co Leitrim

Ireland

T:+353 (0)?1 9621348

M:+353 (0)86 60093?2

E: [email protected] W: www.erikamarks.com

Erika Marks' work is available from:

Eblana Gallery, Merrion Row, Dublin,

Ireland

Leitrim Design House, The Dock,

Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim, Ireland

Velvet da Vinci, Polk St.,

San Francisco, USA.

A

Erika Marks

43



(?^ Portfolio

Furniture Yaffe/Mays Furniture

The Haggard Cottage

Salruck, Renvyle Co Galway Ireland

T:+353 (0)95 43089

W: www.lauramays.com E: [email protected]

How to contact Laura Mays: Laura works to commission and for

exhibitions only

Laura Mays and Rebecca Yaffe,

cabinet makers in the European

tradition, tend to think of their work as

moving in phases or cycles rather than

constantly breaking new ground. They

perceive a tension between support for

craft and the modern Irish tendency to

admire growth and speed and big

business models and novelty; the subtle

but damaging idea that everything is a

product and that products create a

lifestyle. 'I think we're both a bit reactive

to the phrase 'new directions' - it seems

resonant of current business principles

of constant growth and expansion. If

anything we would prefer to align

ourselves to other models - to the slow

food movement, orto artistic practice for

example. We feel that there is a current

reductive business model that creates

pressures that work against skills and

tradition. It is assumed that in order to

grow, you need to do more, faster. We

want to go deeper and explore, at

whatever speed it takes. With each set of

projects there's something that we're

exploring; at the moment, you could say

I'm thinking about angles and twist and

Rebecca is working on formality without

becoming too old fashioned. We want to

bring elements of 'high-technology' such

as computer-controlled machines into our

decidedly low-technology framework.'

^^^^^^^^^^KHH^^^^^H? ^SeSb?^Bi^^I^^I^BII^^^b vHl^^^^^^^^^^^H^^^^

l_aura Mays

44




The

wall hung pieces of Deirdre

McCrory are created using an

uncharted combination of materials

and techniques. Recent pieces show

the effects of enamel over aquatint, of

copper etching, carborundum, oxide,

photo-intaglio, chine-coll?, copper

wire, silver balls, and glass beads,

although not all at the same time. It

would seem that the work is less

about the choice of medium, or

combination of media, than its

creative interpretation. McCrory is

renowned for her mastery of fine line

and control over the processes of

etching and enamelling. Having

trained in textiles, jewellery, and the

tricky business of enamelling, she

has worked as an applied artist

specialising in enamelling and latterly

printmaking. The enamel work shows

a subtle three-dimensional depth; the

printmaking a concern for the line,

colour and detail found in nature.

'Since I started printmaking I have

enjoyed exploring and experimenting

with various techniques. Some of

these I was familiar with because of

my work as an enameller. The

acquisition of a larger kiln and recent

concentration on photo intaglio and

etching has furthered the interaction

between my prints and enamels. My

imagery comes from the environment

at home and abroad, and the plants

and animal life that encroach on it.'

Enamel 8c Print Deirdre McCrory 22 Ballynahinch Street

Hillsborough, Co Down BT26 6AW

N. Ireland

T:+44 (0)28 92683014


Deirdre McCrory's work is available

from:

Townhouse Gallery, Belfast, N. Ireland

Graphic Studio Gallery, Dublin, Ireland

Deirdne McCrory

45

I -. I . . -



Silver Blessington Cottage 22 Ballynahinch Street

Hillsborough Co Down BT 26 6AW

N Ireland

T:+44 (0)28 92683014

E: [email protected] W: michaelmccrory.com

How to contact Michael McCrory: Michael works to commission and for

exhibitions only

;^j^r **"

-?l

Although silversmithingrequires

skills that our ancestors would have

used thousands of years ago, Michael

McCrory has combined these with

contemporary engineering and

computer technology to bring the

traditional craft to a new level. He has

developed the use of a hydraulic press

in silversmithing, which can be used to

make objects that it would be very

difficult to make by hand, and also to

work more quickly. The press, however,

is no substitute for the traditional

silversmithing techniques, which are

used in combination with the new

technology. McCrory has also explored

the possibilities of computer aided

design. 'The computer has been a

J-'.""

revelation for me - it's revolutionised

how I work. I can use the drawings that I

create on the computer to create a lot ol

the forms, although there are elements

that have to be done by eye. Silverware

to me has to be aesthetically pleasing,

with a sculptural visual strength. My

designs are founded on a balance of

?if ,>-.: . /;f W* " '

w*-l

line, form, and proportion which

harmonise with the detail in the tactile

finished pieces.' Surface decoration,

especially the 'prickly pear' texturing

that is reminiscent of a cactus and

which breaks the relentless

smoothness of the silver surface, has

become one of his signatures.

!,

Michael McCrory

46



I THE ANNUAL CRAFT EDITION OF THE IRISH ARTS REVIEW 200? |

The

Newry-based jeweller Rachel

McKnight works primarily in

materials not normally associated

with adornment. Her necklaces,

bangles, and earrings come in simple,

uncomplicated shapes, and use

unexpected materials, like hand-dyed

polypropylene and silver. 'I work with

a lot of alternative materials like

plastics and hand-dyed rubber

combined with silver, so I make some

very wearable pieces that sell easily

and also larger exhibition pieces. I

would say that I am driven by

materials and graphic shapes. Usually

I find a material and then experiment

with it to see what I can produce.'

Plastics interest her because of their

1

many manufacturing possibilities and

their multitude of colours; and

because they allow her to explore the

idea of transparency and opaque

colour. She works extensively with

circles - a shape that is easily

duplicated and that flows well,

especially when used as the basis for

I

a bangle. She often works with layers;

either duplicating a shape and

layering the elements one on top of

the other, or layering different

materials such as rubbers, metals and

plastics. McKnight combines a wide

range of production work with large

scale exhibition pieces.

Jewellery Rachel McKnight 101 Dunkirk Road

Lurgan, Armagh BT66 ?AR

N. Ireland

M:+44(0)?815?45303 E: [email protected]

W: www.rachelmcknight.com

Rachel McKnight's work is available from:

Dog House Gallery, Comber,

N. Ireland

Copper Moon, Belfast, N. Ireland

Robinson Goldsmiths, Bangor, N. Ireland

The Leitrim Design House,

Carrick-on-Shannon, Ireland


Ardmore Pottery and Craft Gallery,

Schull, Co Cork, Ireland

Lisbeth Mulcahy, Dingle, Co Kerry, Ireland

O'Reilly and Turpin, Westport, Co Mayo, Ireland

Celtic Roots Studio, Athlone, Ireland

Etain Hicky Collection, Clonakilty, Ireland

Red Aesthetic, Kilkenny, Ireland

The Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland

The Edge Gallery, Lancaster, UK

Love-Handles.co.uk, Harrogate, UK

Victoria Stewart Contemporary

Jewellery, Plymouth, UK

Mission Gallery, Swansea, Wales

Emerald, Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S.A.

<//

Rachel McKnight

~~~~~~~~~47

i i1



Portfolio

Ceramics Kathleen Moroney Tulla Road

Kilkishen

Co Clare

Ireland

T:+353 (0)61 36??46


How to contact Kathleen Moroney: Please contact Kathleen Moroney

directly regarding her work.

Many

of Kathleen Moroney's pieces

are mirror images of each other;

two-part ceramic forms in slipcast

tinted stoneware, sanded and polished.

They examine repetition, natural and

architectural, and are influenced by the

Japanese appreciation of space. In

these works the space between is as

much a part of the piece as the ceramic

forms. They comment on relationships,

rhythm and movement, continuity and

change. As an artist Moroney is

motivated by the challenges that site

specific work and community projects

create, and the inevitable changes and

new directions evident in her studio

work as a result of these experiences.

'For the last two months I have been

working on a semi-permanent

installation for the lobby area of The

Music Hall at Augsburg College,

Minneapolis, to be installed summer

2008, and I was recently selected for a

Percent for Art project in connection with

the newly refurbished artists studio

spaces, The Stables, in Tulla, County

Clare. This is a small scale temporary

project in which I hope to celebrate the

old history and new life of the stables

through a ceramic installation, while

having the opportunity to interact with

the local community as I realise the

piece. I am looking forward to creating a

new body of ceramic work in 2008, and I

am at present looking for a gallery space

and the opportunity of a solo show to

begin the process.'

Kathleen Moroney

?Ill

_48




'V

Mia Mullen works in platinum, gold

and silver, producing ranges of

jewellery, limited edition

commissioned pieces, and small

sculptural objects. A recent range of

silver functional objects includes one

off bowls, spoons, salt cellars, and pill

boxes. Mullen loves working with

precious metals: cutting, piercing, and

fabricating the raw materials. Using

silversmithing techniques she starts

with flat sheet silver as a blank canvas

and achieves her elegant and fluid

three-dimensional forms by

hammering, forming, and pushing the

metal to its limits. Some of her work

incorporates carved wood, either as

part of the piece, or as an integral

base. She finds it interesting to work

with two different mediums and fusing

them together through good design.

Mullen has a passion for creating

geometry in natural forms and

contemporary design. 'I work in

Anaverna Studios, Ravensdale, County

Louth, which is a converted stable yard

that caters for several different artists

from the area. It is surrounded by

amazing mature gardens, and my work

is influenced by the symmetry and

geometrical forms which exist within

the many different flowers which

surround me.' Her work is in many

private collections and she was

recently commissioned to make

individually designed and crafted

jewellery pieces for presentation to

President Mary McAleese.

Metal Mia Mullen Jewellery Anaverna

Ravensdale, Dundalk

Co Louth

Ireland

T:+353 (0)42 9380639

I M: +353(0)8?2990026 E: [email protected]

Mia Mullen's work is available from:

The Gift Store, Newry Co Down, N.

Ireland

R.Q. O'Neills, Dundalk, Co Louth, Ireland

Angles, Dublin, Ireland

Bijou, Monanaghan, Ireland

P.F Kelly, Kenmare, Co Kerry, Ireland

The Stable Yard, Ravensdale, Co Louth,

Ireland

Mia Mullen

49



Portfolio

Silver Cara Murphy

Blessington House

18 Ballynahinch Street

Hillsborough Co Down BT26 6AW

N. Ireland

T:+44 (0)28 9268915?

M: +44 (0)2811 95880?

E: [email protected] W: www.caramurphy.com

How to contact Cara Murphy: Cara Murphy works to commission and

for exhibitions only

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Highly

polished silver evokes a sense of ritual and ceremony,

which is something both exploited and

challenged by Cara Murphy whose

work questions the contexts,

boundaries and functions of silver

tableware. Using traditional

silversmithing techniques and

working in a variety of materials, but

predominately silver, Murphy treats

the everyday context of the dining

table as a silver landscape. One of her

aims is to create a focus for the table,

either in interaction with other objects or standing in sculptural isolation. The

pieces, in themselves an exploration

of the organically grown form, interact

with the table and metaphorically grow

from it. Although functionality has

always been a fundamental aspect of

Murphy's work, and for several pieces

the driving force behind it, her

sculptural silver forms tease the

user's perception of functionality.

Their function is not always obvious,

and in some cases you must interact

with the piece in order to discover how

it works. Furrows, for example, is a salt

?^^Jug

and pepper dispenser in silver and

wenge. The furrows allow grooves for

salt and pepper to be held in uniform

rows, the eight spoons lift out to allow

the user to scatter the salt and pepper.

The movement created by the user

enhances the piece and becomes part

of it.

I

|IJJ*L

Cana Murphy

_50




Patricia Murphy's glowing abstract

textile art is concerned with the

emotional and transformational impact

of colour on people and places. She uses

mixed media - acrylic paints, pigments,

dye, and elements of collage -

building

up layers of colour using contrasting

areas of soft blurring and hard shapes

with strong contrasts. Typically, her work

includes paintings with elements of

collage, wall-hangings, rugs, and more

recently, installations. The work explores

themes of change and movement in the

landscape and cityscape, cycles of the

seasons, and times of day and night.

Much of her smaller work is mixed media

on silk or cotton which allows for great

spontaneity and vividness; her work also

translates particularly easily into rugs,

and she has worked closely with

craftsmen at some of Ireland's leading

rug companies to make individually

designed rugs and wall hangings. Much

of Murphy's work is on a large scale, and

she often works to commission

alongside architects and contractors,

sometimes in collaboration with other

craftspeople. She relates well to

commissions, and enjoys the challenge

of gauging work to the scale of the

building and the people who live or work

there. While expression through textiles

is her main medium, Murphy uses a

flexible approach to materials to suit the

requirements of a particular space.

Textiles Patricia Murphy Artist and Designer Seaforth

Blackrock

Co Louth

Ireland

T: +353 (0)42 9321433

M:+353 (0)82 2326245


Patrica Murphy's work is available

from:


The Cat and The Moon, Sligo, Ireland

a

Patricia Murphy

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Portfolio

Textiles Liz Nilsson

Longbord 54 Kenilworth Square

Rathgar Dublin 6

Ireland

T:+353(0)149?6042 M:+353 (0)86 830?294

E: [email protected] W: www.liznilsson.com

Liz Niisson's work is available from:

The Bushes, 110 4th Street NE,

Charlotte Ville, VA22902, USA

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The

textiles of the Swedish-born

textile artist, Liz Nilsson, range

from functional tabletop products to

conceptual installations. All her work - whether table art or wall pieces

- is

hand screen printed on pure linen.

'When I moved to Ireland it seemed

that making table linen was a natural

thing to take on. There is great linen

tradition here, and there are ways

that it can be reinvented.' In her new

wall-based work, Nilsson explores

different ways of manipulating the

printed surface by printing, folding,

cutting and constructing. She takes

inspiration from the fabrics of her

childhood. 'We all collect memories on

our journey through life. A certain

tablecloth may have left an imprint in

our memory of a time long ago, of

family and friends at a table together,

of the Christmases and birthdays of

yesterday. Developing each piece is

an explorative journey. In her

functional work she aims to offer

attractive everyday textiles that play

with colour and pattern to help the

user to envision how the table is

dressed, although she admits that

table dressing is more of an instinct

than an art. Nilsson, along with five

other designers from different

disciplines formed a group called 6 x

Tables to produce and sell handmade

coordinated tabletop products.

?

Liz Nilsson

_52




The glass artist Michelle O'Donnell is

inspired by her love of glass as a

raw material. She makes glass art to

commission, most of it on a large scale.

Having worked as a glass designer for

Irish companies in New York, Boston,

Belgium, and Paris, O'Donnell set up

Glasshammer Designs in 1993 to cater

for extremely large-scale architectural

glass projects. Working with a team of

craftspeople, O'Donnell specialises in

glass pieces that draw on a range of

skills to create pieces using new and

innovative surfaces and textures that

work with their natural surroundings,

internal or external. O'Donnell's private

work includes wall pieces, glass

screens, and floating glass floors that

contain imagery. A sliding wall

combines a metal frame with textured

glass panels which are kiln fused with

copper strips fused between the

layers. A small glass nest is formed of

kiln fused circles of glass, while a

similarly stacked effect is created in a

much larger piece - an interior

sculpture created from layers of

stacked glass; levelled, and glued.

Many of her sculptures can be seen in

hotels and corporate headquarters

around the country, and she made

pieces for private clients including

President Mary McAleese, Tony Ryan,

Cathal Ryan, Michael Smurfit, and the

actor Ben Kingsley.

i

Glass Glass Hammer Studios

Ballyheashill

Rhode, Co Offaly Ireland

T:+353 (0)46 9239290

M:+353(0)82 2242504

E: [email protected] W: www.glasshammer.ie

Michelle O'Donnell's work is available

from:

Sandra Ainsley Gallery, Toronto, Canada.

~?armar wert mmmu

Michelle O'Donnell -'s5



Portfolio

Metal Silver River Studios,

Acontha, Durrow, Tullamore

Co Offaly Ireland

T:+353 (0)52 9324044

M:+353(0)82 696 3??9

E: [email protected] W: www.millennium2000silver.com

Kevin O'Dwyer's work is available from:

J. Cotter Gallery, USA

Snyderman-Works Gallery, USA

?Roger Bill Cliff Gallery, UK

Galerie Tactus, Denmark

Kilkenny Shop, Dublin, Ireland

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The work of the silversmith Kevin

O'Dwyer shows a sculptural

interpretation of mundane household

items, with a particular affinity with the

teapot. His teapots have the appearance

of small and speedy vehicles,

sometimes incorporating a rocking

mechanism, sometimes balanced by

undulating silver tentacles. One tiny

teapot - the utensil as surfer -

poises

on the crest of a polished bronze wave.

An Art Deco tea and coffee service with

cocobolo handles has an angular

presence reminiscent of the skyline of

his native Chicago. His textured

surfaces, which do interesting things

with reflected light, are the antithesis of

the usual high polish of silver. If you look

closely you can see the influence of the

Early Christian stone work that first

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inspired him when, as a teenager, he

moved from New York to County

Tipperary. It's not an obviously Celtic

manifestation, but an adaptation of the

flowing lines and textural qualities of

stone. O'Dwyer also works at a larger

scale. He is the initiator of Lough Boora

Parklands, County Offaly, where his work

60 Degrees comprises a diminishing

series of triangles set in the landscape

and made of railway sleepers and

stainless steel. The sculptures were

assembled on site and held in place

using the railway line that once

facilitated the travel of the bog train

through the landscape. O'Dwyer was

named as one of Irish America's Top 100

for 2002 by Irish America Magazine.

Kevin O'Dwyer

54




The vast ceramic mosaics of Laura

O'Hagan take inspiration from

dreams and the Wicklow landscape:

the colour of gorse, the vastness of

the sea, the magic of change within

the landscape. A pair of curved

ceramic mosaic screen walls (6ft x

6ft) was based on the Glen of the

Downs: 'But I played with the images.

One minute it looks like the Sugarloaf

Mountain, the next it's an eagle. It

means that you don't get bored.'

Sometimes O'Hagan buys blank tiles

and paints them, and but usually she

makes the tiles herself and cuts them

to suit the pieces that she is working

on. She can also put a layer of glass

over the tile, which gives it an

extraordinary depth, like looking down

into a rockpool. O'Hagan has recently

been involved in an exhibition titled

'Meres, regard de mer' at the Alliance

Fran?aise. 'It is about our response -

as women - to water. There isn't a

direct translation of the French title

but for me it has echoes of women

from the inside out, and even though

we carry water it too can carry us. It

soothes the mind and opens me to

the natural rhythms around me, and I

then feel free to play with imagery

and colour.'

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^^ejgaBl^BHBBBB^SR?SRfl^ W: www.laura-ohagan.com

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Laura O'Hagan

55

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k<?) Portfolio

Jewellery Angela O'Kelly

Coolmine,

Saggart, Co Dublin

Ireland

T:+353 (0)1 4013899

M:+353(0)82 6280284

E: angela o [email protected] W: www.angelaokelly.com

Angela O'Kelly's work is available from:

Electrum Gallery, 21 South Molton St,

London, W1YIDD, UK

Scottish Gallery, 16 Dundas Street,

Edinburgh, EH3 6HZ, UK


Velvet da Vinci, 2015 Polk Street,

San Francisco, CA 94109, USA

Mobilia Gallery, 359 Huron Avenue,

Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Galerie Beeld and Aambeeld,

Walstraat 13, 2511 GE Enchede,

The Netherlands

The Shirin Guild Store, The Queens Elm,

241 Fulham Road, London, SW3 6HY, UK

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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ with simple shapes, textures, and

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^^^^^V y ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H sea Colour very ^^^^^ f ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H|P earthy browns ^B^BVP' ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^HHi blues reds from the BIW^^ ^^^^^^^^HPPPI^^^ ^^^^^^B^^^^B sea, featuring throughout my work.

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Texture is my main consideration,

^^^^^^H achieved by layering hard and soft

^^^^^^^^^H fibres and knotting and sewing paper

^^^^^^^^^^^^KP cord.'Anew range of wall hung pieces

^^^???K?H??^^^?^^^^^^^^^^?/^ incorporates wearable elements, which

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/?lSS?BHHR^^Hi^HR^^^^^^^^r as a brooch, and then replaced. 'Even

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Y ' /r^lMflBHBHlKSH^nlH^^^^^BL my wearable pieces tend to end up on

':: - ' ''' -. y% ?SÊh?^H^HHBHB9^^^^^BM?^ display,' O'Kelly explained. 'The

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i ̂ ^HÎ^BhHs^^b^^Î^H^^^^^?^^Î^ x ^S^^^^HSSRnH^^^^^^^^^^^^^^BBI people the bangles on a

'^ ivSHBHBSSSRfl^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^BI The wall hung pieces were just a step

^t?^^P^fJHBB?y^^^B^^^^^^^^^^[ on from there.'

Angela O'Kelly

_56




Mandy

Parslow makes wheel

thrown and altered pieces using

salt firing. Working predominantly with

bowl forms, she plays with the

balance between the internal and

external surfaces. 'I aim to make

pieces that reveal themselves over

time and use: subtle surfaces that ask

to be touched; tactile shapes that

want to be held.' Parslow's inspiration

comes from a multitude of sources:

the mountains near her Tipperary

studio and the way that the colours on

them change as the light shifts; and

from the making process itself, the

tactile nature of clay and time spent

experimenting with form and surface.

'I finished building a new wood firing

salt kiln earlier this year, and at the

moment I'm getting ready to have the

second firing in it. The results that I

got from the first firing are very rich

and I can see the kiln influencing me

in terms of decoration and colour to

quite an extent. In terms of forms, I'm

still working on bowl shapes, but the

new kiln has enabled me to scale

these up again, and I'm having great

^^^^^^BBRiBlM^ff'-v ' ?

fun with altered lidded jars at the

moment - each time I make them they

seems to grow taller feet!'

Ceramics Mandy Parslow Pottery

Clonbeg Lodge, Glen of Aherlow

Co Tipperary Ireland

T:+353 (0)62 56011

F:+353 (0)62 56011

E: [email protected] W: www.parslowpottery.com

Mandy Parslow's work is available

from:

The Treasure Chest,

Co Tipperary, Ireland

The Craft Granary, Cahir,

Co Tipperary, Ireland


The Steps, Mallow, Co Cork, Ireland

Sliding Rock, Spiddal, Co Galway, Ireland

Fibre and Clay, 34A King Street,

Knutsford, Cheshire, UK

Salt Gallery, 4 Bear Court, Burford,

Oxfordshire, 0X18 4RR, UK

Roundhouse Gallery, Foston,

Derbyshire, DE65 5DL, UK

Mustard Seed Gallery, 124 S. Pennsylvania Avenue,

Greensburg, PA 15601, USA

Mandy Parslow

57



Portfolio

Jewellery Temple Lane Studios

8 Crow Street

Temple Bar

Dublin 8

Ireland

M:00 353(0)8?26?824? E: [email protected]

W: www.debbiepaul.com

Debbie Paul's work is available from:

KB Gallery Lope de Vega, Santander,

Spain


Red Aesthetics, Kilkenny, Ireland

Debbie Paul's jewellery is hand

forged into fluid organic shapes

using precious metals and stones.

She is inspired by the textures and

patterns found in nature and the

quest to adapt these qualities, with

sensitivity, into metal forms. Paul

recently created a subtle alternative

to the tiara - a line of headpieces in

gold and silver strands that weave

through the hair, some interwoven

with tiny diamond and ruby details. 'At

present I am working on a series of

brooches, which are a progression

from the hairpieces. I work in precious

metals creating textures by using fine

wires with tiny stones trapped

amongst the wires, or set on the end

of fine strands, to highlight certain

areas of the piece. Working in these

metals enables something that

appears to be very fine and delicate

but is in fact strong and sturdy. To

achieve subtle colour changes I use

silver, different alloys of gold, and

platinum. Some of these brooches

form interlinking pieces that can

become bracelets, necklaces,

pendants, and rings. The idea of one

piece transforming into another

fascinates me -1 will continue to explore

this direction, and I'm also working on

some larger sculptural pieces which I

intend to introduce in 2008.'

Debbie Paul

58




r

The working life of many jewellers is

a fine balance between bread-and

butter ranges, and the more

challenging gallery work. For Inga Reed

who thrives on variety, it's a positive

thing to have different but interweaving

strands of work. Tve recently designed

the Luna range for Fado jewellery, and

I'm getting a lot more wedding

commissions and bridal work.' As an

artist who thrives on variety, Reed

responds well to the challenge of

translating the wishes of the client into

a piece that will work out in practice. 'I

like to have a regular income, but

sometimes I find that I'm just making

work to sell. The Portfolio selection

process is a great carrot to get up and

making something new. Gallery work is

always a risk because you never know

what return you're going to get. Mostly

when I make the exhibition pieces I'm

also using a new technique, so I never

really know how they're going to turn

out, but it makes a change from

endless pearl-ball earrings.' She likes

9 If'

*

the anomalies inherent in the jewellery

making process - that metal is

resistant and hard but can be wrought

into soft curves - and the endless

possible combinations of metal and

stones, the classic materials of

jewellery design. 'It's always a mixture.

My pieces are always about contrast.'

M?

Jewellery Inga Reed Jewellery

River House

Johnswell

Co Kilkenny Ireland

T: +353 (0)56 2259904

M: +353 (0)82 2292432


Inga Reed's work is available from:

PF Kelly, Kenmare Co Cork, Ireland

Enibas, Schull West Cork, Ireland

Kilkenny Design, Kilkenny, Ireland

Design Yard, Dublin, Ireland

The Cat and The Moon, Sligo, Ireland

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nga Reed

i i ~~~~~~~~59

i -- i



Portfolio

Glass Deirdre Rogers Contemporary Glass

and Design The Paddocks Studio, Dunmoe

Navan, Co Meath

Ireland

T:+353(0)146 90?5616

M:+353(0)86 811?969

E: [email protected] W: www.deirdrerogers.com

How to contact Deirdre Rogers: All of Deirdre Rogers' work is made to

commission.

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Working mostly with sheet glass,

Deirdre Rogers is moving away

from her previous vessel forms to

concentrating on kiln forming and

etching. 'Using the concept of layering I

made fifty wall panels for the Dublin

Docklands Development Authority.

These were made up of two layers, a

colourful fused panel at the back, and a

clear panel at the front which was

etched in a painterly fashion and

m

contrasted with the linear blocks of

colour behind. And, for Sculpture in

Context 200?, I am proposing six

hanging glass panels decorated with

detailed etchings of scenes from around

the Botanical Gardens, with splashes of

bright colour to contrast with the

monotone of the etched image.' Rogers

has recently completed a challenging

mosaic project with her local national

school. 'By asking all the children to

draw a picture showing what their

school meant to them I composed a

design, which we then translated into

four mosaic wall panels. The names of

the teachers and 232 pupils attending in

June 200? are engraved onto the mirror,

which flows through the mosaic tiles.

This project was a great challenge for

me, as I had not worked in ceramic

mosaic before, let alone with over 200

children of varying ages!'

Deirdre Rogers

_60




Aceramicist is, to a certain extent, a

gambler. Although the firing

process can be controlled to a large

extent, there is always an element of

Chance. The work of Jim Turner shows

a dedication to experimentation and

an exploration of the possible

combinations of chance and skill. The

pieces, constructed from altered

extrusions and paper-clay sheets, are

dominated by their textural surfaces.

These surfaces are treated like a

canvas. Layers are built up with the

slips and glazes, which are applied

using brushes, sponges, and slip

trailers much as in painting. They are

then fired to 1300? C, subjecting them

to the chance of the firing process.

Some pieces are fired again at a lower

temperature with lustres. Thrown

vessels in white stoneware clay are

altered into simple pod forms and

fired with dry glazes and volcanic

lustres, their surfaces are pitted and

cracked like igneous rock in a

curiously muted palette. Often

displayed in a series of diminishing

sizes, these pod forms fit well into the

hand and bear close inspection, the

random nature of the surface texture

seems to reveal new geographic

patterns, with glimpses of the smooth

glazed interior barely visible through

the tiny opening. While the pod forms

are distinctly female, Turner has also

been working on hand-built slab forms

that seem like rocky extrusions on

the landscape.

Ceramics Rossmore Country Pottery

Rossmore, Clonakilty Co Cork, Ireland

T:+353 (0)23 388?5

E: [email protected] W: www.rossmorepottery.com

www.rosspots.com

Jim Turner's work is available from:

Etain Hickey Collections, Clonakility, Co Cork, Ireland

Keane on Ceramics, Kinsale, Co Cork,

Ireland

Millcove Gallery, Castletownbere,

Co Cork, Ireland


Bridge Gallery, Dublin, Ireland

Darven and Bell, Limerick

Jim Turner

61



Portfolio

Textiles Brigitta Varadi

Cornagee, Lough Allen, Carrick-On

Shannon

Co Leitrim, Ireland

M:+353 (0)82 2292329


How to contact Brigitta Varadi:

Brigitte Varadi can be contacted through the Leitrim Design House or directly by

phone or email during normal working hours and in the evenings. Her studio is

not open to the public, but meetings can

be arranged at the Leitrim Design House,

St. George Terrace, Carrick-on-Shannon,

Co Leitrim, Ireland

T: 00 353 (0)21 9650550


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The work of the textile artist Brigitta

Varadi has progressed almost

beyond recognition in recent years.

Varadi's likeable assortment of felted

textiles has evolved a sculptural quality,

reflecting the poignant landscape of her

adopted County Leitrim: 'this vast land

of bog that contains hundreds of

different life forms.' Her current large

scale works are in response to the

patterns of stone fences dividing fields,

the patterns on the rocks created by

different mosses, and the marks

created by ageing. She combines

different types of animal and vegetable

fibres, sometime physically including

fibrous elements of the landscape -

sheep's wool, lichen, moss, and straw -

in combination with synthetic fabrics. 'I

am interested in installations that deal

with boundaries, both inside and out:

the self and its place in the present and

in creating a space where the viewer

can become part of this observation

and interaction. In the future I hope to

create large-scale textile works for

specific environments, keeping an

innovative approach and challenging

preconceived notions about materials.

My latest works were site specific

installations, commissioned by Sligo Art

Gallery, and created in Kulttuurikauppila

Art Residency, Finland, responding to

space and how this can affect our

experience of place.'

Brigitta Varadi

62




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One of the highlights of Ireland's

debut at SOFA in 2006 was the sale

for $91,000 of an astonishingly beautiful

curvilinear cabinet by Joseph Walsh. 'It

seems like a big price,' Walsh explained,

'but the gallery takes 40%, and it took

three people four months to make the

piece, working very long days. As well as

that a lot of thought went into it -that's

something that you can't measure in

time.' The twenty-seven year old Walsh

may seem young to have achieved such

status in the world of furniture, but this is

not a sudden success story. Walsh first

took an interest in furniture making

w' :>^p$p

when he was twelve, and has been

working to commission since he was

sixteen. 'By this stage I've ten years

experience behind me, but I've no formal

training in furniture making,' says Walsh.

'By the time I was sixteen I was already

so serious about my work that I didn't

want to go to college. It's not a

recommended route, but it does mean

that I'm not afraid of challenges.' In SOFA

2002 a large-scale table, designed and

made by Walsh, will hang suspended

from the ceiling in Navy Pier, as one of

the major installations of the show.

Furniture Joseph Walsh Bespoke

Fartha, Riverstick, Co Cork, Ireland

T:+353 (0)21 4??1?59

F:+353 (0)21 4??1826

M: +353 (0)8? 2236599

E: [email protected] W: www.josephwalshbespoke.com

Joseph Walsh's work is available from:

Eblana, Dublin, Ireland

Plateaux Gallery, 1 Brewery Square, Tower Bridge Piazza, London UK

By appointment at Joseph Walsh's

studio

Joseph Walsh

am



irish craft 2007: the annual craft edition of the "irish arts review" || portfolio 2007

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