NORMAN GALLERY NEWS 2009
© Maeve McCarthy		Christmas Exhibition 2009 The Christmas show opens on Saturday 5th December at 12 midday. There will be around 20 very collectable items for sale at prices from €135 - €345 and there will also be a large selection of work by gallery artists. Of particular note is the 1930 woodcut of the Flight into Egypt, a sharp and well defined image of this everlasting theme; a Japanese horse study dates from c1925, and three pastels by Cliodna Cussen reflect her carving at the symposium. David Begley works include 3 drawings based on trees in Bunclody, and several small oils. Anthony Lyttle's work is always in demand and on offer are small oils, etchings, and mixed media. There will be pieces by Robert Ryan, Philippa Bayliss, Pat and Pam Palmer, Miriam Robinson, Patricia Wheeler, Avril Harvey, and a few surprises! The show runs until 20th December when the gallery closes for the winter except by appointment. Please phone at any time if you'd like a look at anything in the gallery stock. See Preview.
© Martin Lyttle		Sliabh Gearr Exhibition October 2009 The exhibition of nine granite sculptures carved during the recent symposium was held at the gallery; it included supporting pieces that the artists had made prior to the symposium. Huge local interest in the symposium resulted in large crowds visiting the gallery to view the sculptures in the landscape and gardens of Monksgrange. The success of the venture, and the interest and support of sculptors and collectors, has encouraged the committe to consider organising another symposium in the next 2 years. Well done to prime mover Niall Deacon for bringing it all to fruition. Padraig McGoran, Eileen McDonagh and Cliodna Cussen were invaluable members of the committee, not forgetting the enormous input of all the attendees of the symposium. The outdoor sculptures will remain on site for viewing. See Preview.
Niall Deacon splitting stone		Sliabh Gearr Symposium September 2009 One evening, after a day’s work on his farm near Killanne, Co. Wexford, Niall Deacon was listening to the radio when a learned professor exclaimed that ‘no one works in granite anymore.’ Having spent many years honing his skills at carving granite from the nearby hill of Sliabh Gearr, Niall was saddened to hear the professor dismiss his hobby. He determined at once to disprove the statement and began to organise a symposium to be held in his own yard at home. With funding from Wexford County Council, and sponsorship from The Norman Gallery (itself only 3 miles away) a further €1500 was raised from the sale of artwork kindly donated by local artists. Altogether, enough was raised to sponsor nine stonecarvers to the symposium. Each one would be housed and fed for the fortnight’s event, and stone and equipment would all be supplied free of charge. With the help of well-known sculptors Cliona Cussen and Eileen McDonagh, sculptors were chosen to attend; they included 2 international representatives – Bojana Krizacec from Slovenia, and Emanuela Camacci from Italy. Also selected were Padraig McGoran from Gorey, Martha Quinn from Sligo, Martin Lyttle from Carlow and Paul Haggins from Drogheda. Niall, Cliona and Eileen made up the final three. On 29th August the carvers began by selecting their stones and getting set up in the one-time cattle sheds and haybarns that had been cleaned out and made ready for a new use. Electrical power was at each station and air compressors were at hand. Con saws and heavy lifting gear, bankers and sledgehammers were available on demand. Each sculptor had brought along their favourite chisels, hammers, drills, safety glasses, earplugs, and mouth and nose masks. Carving stone is a dusty, noisy business. By the end of the first week, the 2 figurative pieces were emerging from their original blocks of granite. Elements of recognisable form were becoming apparent. The non-figurative pieces were showing their design and compositional elements and the second week was going to be a time of finishing and polishing. Without the normal daily interruptions like phones, school runs, and cooking meals, the sculptors’ progress was sure and steady. They revelled in being able to concentrate without interruption. By the end of the fortnight Cliona’s column carved with organic shapes was nearly one and a half metres tall; Martha Quinn’s stone had been dressed with stars and the mica crystals in the granite sparkled in any sunlight that appeared. Martin Lyttle had superimposed a relief map of archaeological sites on a strip of road that wound across his stone, and Bojana Kizacec had transformed a plain old lump of stone from Cinderella to Princess by a seeming simple hammering of the surface, fulfilling the maxim of least intervention on nature. Emanuella Camacci chose three stones and then carved a track across their surfaces; when laid out in a row the tracks rose and fell in the rythmn of a hilly, country road. Simple, again, in concept, but her skill and honed artistic sense of dynamics make this an intruiging work. A highly polished granite surface is not what you find on a piece of mountain granite; its normally rough surface is hard on the skin. Eileen McDonagh offers a subtle demonstration of transformation and distinction from rough to smooth in her piece of stone which resembled a might-have-been gate pier before she got to it. Niall Deacon likes the idea of rebirth and renewal. From the wilds of the mountain to the decorum of artspace, Niall’s massive egg-like ovoid sits precariously on a tapering square column of roughed granite. Will it fall, or won’t it? Will it shatter on the ground? Is there a yolk? It is finely judged in its positioning atop the pillar supporting it, and it will intrigue for years. The two figurative works need another week or two due to their sheer size. Padraig McGoran, who once worked as assistant to Dick Joynt, is carving what may be a selfportrait, but is certainly a powerful personality with one arm thrusting forward to draw you into his confidence, the other waiting by his side for the eventual embrace. Using Alec Miller’s ‘Tradition in Sculpture’ as his guide, Padraig is carving a traditional sculptural figure yet a man born of the mountain. In the bay alongside is Paul Haggins’ carving which derives from the fluid shape of the old Irish letter b. This piece is also largescale, and the fluidity is emphasised by the fishlike elements that are included in the design. If big is your beautiful, then these two pieces will do. Working in a symposium allows the common cause of art to flourish among the participants. They learn from, and help oneanother as the days go by. Problems or difficulties can be discussed with a fellow carver on the spot; despite the wide range of subject, and manner of treatment of the stone, there is a strong bond among the group. It’s not competitive; there seems to be a determined objective to show that granite carving is alive and well in Ireland ‘and we’ll prove it.’ The carvers enjoy the closeness of common cause and understanding; they need the succour that each one gives to the other; they will be back again to carve for Ireland! An exhibition of their pieces will be held at The Norman Gallery from 17th October to 8th November to coincide with the Wexford Opera Festival.
Niall deacon - finishing touches
Padraig McGoran eyeballing his man Cliona Cussen carving Images above from work in progress at Sliabh Gearr Sculpture Symposium 2009
'Constellation' 800x1200x600cms, Sliabh Gearr granite © Martha Quinn
'For the love of light' Graphite © David Begley		October - November 2009 Gallery artist David Begley will teach an evening course in drawing and painting at Newtownbarry House Gallery, Bunclody, County Wexford on Tuesdays [7.00pm - 9.30pm] from October 06 until November 24. The course includes drawing and painting from still life, portrait and figure. Ten places only Contact Alice Norton Tel 05393 76383
'Carousel, Cuba' © Patrick Donald 2008		February 2009 Two award-winning photographers have joined the list of gallery artists, the first to be represented in this visual arts category. Patrick Donald won the Bank of Scotland (Ireland) Photographic Portrait Prize at the 2008 Royal Hibernian Academy annual exhibition in association with the Irish Arts Review; the IAR featured the winning image, ‘Carousel, Cuba’ on the cover of its winter edition. Sharanne Long was the winner of the R.D.S. James White Arts Award 2008/9 for her work: ‘Reflection: Barbara in Portrait.’ This photograph had been shown at Sharanne’s show at The Norman Gallery in 2007. Each of these images is being sold in a limited edition of 100, Donald’s as a silver gelatin print and Long’s as a laser print with crystal matt finish mounted on mdf; other images will also be held in gallery stock. See images here.
'Hold on to light' © David Begley 2008		The Norman Gallery at The Dublin Art Fair 2008 The Norman Gallery will be showcasing some of its leading artists at The Dublin Art Fair which opens at the RDS, Ballsbridge, Dublin on 11th September. We are delighted to have work from David Begley, Anthony Lyttle, Paddy Lennon and Celia Perceval on our stand at location F6. There will be new work from David Begley and Anthony Lyttle. David is currently painting in Germany; this new work again displays the broad reach of his palette and imagination, and gives us further examples of his intelligent and deft ability to create a sense of mystery within his compositions. Anthony Lyttle shows a new large scale work, 'Shake this Land', 120 x 120cms, which deals with his interest in the psychological and physical dimensions of art as an experience. His intense and meticulous approach to painting allows only a few paintings to materialise every year; he is about to embark on an MA course at St. Martin's School of Art, London. Paddy Lennon's pieces contain all the luscious feel that he confers on his art, and the subject matter derives from his interest in the underwater landscape. Landscape is Celia Perceval's abiding interest; a leading artist in Australia, she has recently spent 3 months painting the Irish landscape in winter and spring - an unusual subject - but she has closely observed the one element which is always unseen and seldom described in landscape, and that is wind. Her swirling, diving birds and the colours of winter and spring have picked out the joy of a part of the year we often think of as gloomy. The fair continues until Sunday 14th September. See preview here.
'Neath' © Paddy Lennon 2008
		PASQUA by Michael Warren A new addition to the Monksgrange garden collection of sculpture is ‘Pasqau’ by Michael Warren. Titled through its relationship to the Easter Island statues, Pasqua (Spanish for Easter) is a ten feet tall vertical cube of oak weighing just over one ton. Like most of Michael’s work, there is a strong sense of gravity in this piece and so the worked elements of the timber are towards the bottom. Despite the strength and mass of ‘Pasqua,’ it is still has a great sense of serenity; and its clever placing close to a feathery leaved Podocarpus tree allows it to become part of the garden landscape with ease. Though smaller in scale than much of his work, it amply demonstrates the originality and sheer class of Michael’s sculpture.
'Pasqua' © Michael Warren
		An exhibition of new paintings by Celia Perceval: 10 - 25 May 2008 Celia Perceval lives in Australia where she has exhibited for over 30 years. Her father, John Perceval, and her mother's brother Arthur Boyd, were two of the great Australian painters of the 20th Century. Her wish to paint the Irish landscape, with its pervasive damp atmosphere, is a challenge to someone used to brilliant, dry light. But her energetic style, along with an acute eye for incidental detail, brings alive the winter-deadened countryside of Co.'s Kerry and Wexford.
'Dark Cloud over Mt Eagle' Oil on canvas, 40.5cm x 51cm © Celia Perceval 2008
'Avila For The Love Of Elevation' Oil on canvas 20cm x 20cm. © David Begley 2007		The Watch House Gallery in Market Square, Enniscorthy will have an exciting exhibition in December of original prints and paintings, ideal for that special Christmas gift. The show is running in association with The Norman Gallery which has supplied the works. This interesting development was hatched by Mary Bourke and Jeremy Hill who feel that Enniscorthy needs a gallery offering quality works of art at affordable prices. Among the pieces on offer will be 4 recent pencil drawings by Irish artist David Begley. There are also 2 new Begley paintings and some work from his early days in Bunclody. Also featured are works by the Gorey born Isabel Mesham, and Wexford artists Christine Mooney and Grainne Codd. An international flavour is given by Saul Schary (New York) Marie Opper (France) and Rosemary Mangiamele (Australia). Sean Hardie, Anthony Lyttle, Finola Graham, and Patricia Wheeler complete the line-up. For further information contact Jeremy Hill at The Norman Gallery Tel: (++353) 053 925 5071 or 053 925 5145 Email: sales@normangallery.com