Michael O' Cleary's BARN OWLS comes to Samhlaiocht

The landscape of Kerry is a defining feature in the lives of most of its populace and this is doubly true for many of its wonderful artists and writers. One such artist is Michael O' Cleary, the landscape of Kerry and, in particular, its feathered inhabitants feature strongly in his art. The Exhibition will be opened by Eric Dempsey. Eric is a professional bird tour guide and is a regular panelist from the Derek Mooney Radio show on RTE 1 radio.

"Nature and art are inextricably linked for me and have been, I suppose, since I was 13 years old," says Michael. "I've never really been able to explain it, but I think art is something that every child loves and I think I just pursued it more that others."

Another passion that Michael has followed since childhood is a love of ornithology. "When I first began bird-watching it was easy to incorporate my love of art and it's something I pursued right through to college."

Michael attended the NCAD and, under advisement from his lecturers, his degree show featured his work with birds. It was from this that he was commissioned to work on his first book, The Complete Guide to Ireland's Birds, a task which was to take two years. "It was a ferocious work load," says Michael. "The book has more than 640 illustrations."

Despite the time commitment it developed into a career and Michael now works full time as a wildlife artist, designer, author and illustrator, in Ireland and in Spain, while he resides on the Dingle Peninsula.

Michael who hails from County Down originally visited Kerry in a camper van in January about 6 years ago. "It was actually snowing at the time," laughs Michael, "but I fell in love with the place and moved to Brandon for a couple of years before buying a house in Camp. I'm putting down roots now and can't ever imagine leaving."

"The Samhlaiocht Gallery is delighted to welcome well known freelance bird and wildlife artist, author and illustrator Michael O' Cleary and his 'Barn Owl's Hidden Realm' exhibition to the Gallery," said Trish Thompson, Samhlaiocht Gallery coordinator. "The exhibition will be a treat for all Art lovers but, more than that, will truly inspire anyone who loves wildlife. The life-like quality of the work speaks volumes, not just for Michael's artistic ability, but of his love for these most amazing animals."

The exhibition features barn owls, one of Ireland's most elusive and endangered species of owl. Barn owls are nocturnal and, as such, are rarely seen by the public.

"I spent a year seeking out Barn Owls throughout Kerry, and have been privileged to witness them at first hand on many occasions, in many contexts," says Michael. "With the paintings in this exhibition, I hope to reflect the strange beauty of these animals, mostly within a variety of settings created by man, and also places in slow decay."

Barn owls inhabit human landscapes, nesting and living out their unobtrusive lives almost exclusively in derelict cottages, ruined houses, old castles and neglected farm buildings. The paradox is that, for a species which is so elusive and shy of humans, it is utterly dependent on us for secure nest sites, albeit in the places which we have abandoned.

Most people have never seen a barn owl or have only had the briefest of glimpses and this latest Samhlaiocht exhibition is a perfect opportunity for people to see these beautiful birds captured in their natural habitats.

The exhibition opens on Thursday 25th of June and runs to Friday 17th of July in the New Samhlaiocht Gallery which is located in the Old Presbytery on Lower Castle Street in the heart of Tralee. The Gallery is open from 10 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday, is free to visit and all are welcome.

Samhlaiocht is supported through grant aid from The Arts Council, Kerry County Council, Failte Ireland and by the generous corporate sponsorship of Kerry Group.

For more information on Samhlaiocht please log on to www.samhlaiocht.com

Samhlaiocht Issues Call for Entries to 2010 Programme

The Samhlaiocht Gallery has issued a call for entries from Artists interested in exhibiting as part of Samhlaiocht's 2010 Gallery programme.

"As part of Samhlaiocht's ongoing collaboration with Artists we're inviting them to submit work for consideration for our 2010 Gallery programme," said Jason O' Mahony, Director of Samhlaiocht. "The past two years have been wonderfully successful for us in terms of exhibitions. We had more exhibitions, sold more paintings and discovered more talent than ever before. We're hoping that 2010 will bring more of the same and that this call for entries will attract the best and brightest up-and-coming artists from through out Ireland, while also attracting more established artists looking for an additional platform for their work."

The submission is open to all Artists. Applications are invited from individual artists, or groups of artists, working in any medium for inclusion in the 2010 Samhlaiocht Gallery Programme.

Applications should be submitted in writing by Friday, July 10th.

The Application should contain:
1. Current Biography or CV.
2. Artist's Statement (max. 400 words) and Exhibition Proposal (max. 200 words)
3. 10 - 12 high quality images of the work. Images can be submitted as digital prints, photographs, slides, or jpeg format.
4. Image list with titles, medium and dimensions clearly labelled.

The Samhlaiocht Gallery first opened in July 1999 in Maine Street, Tralee. The philosophy behind the Gallery mirrors the overall philosophy of Samhlaiocht, which is to help, promote and establish up-and coming Artists, provide a platform for more established artists and facilitate community groups working in any artistic medium.

The New Samhlaiocht Gallery is located in the Old Presbytery on Lower Castle Street in the heart of Tralee. The Gallery is open from 10 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday, is free to visit and all are welcome.

Please address your applications to:
Trish Thompson, Art Gallery Coordinator, Samhlaiocht, The Old Presbytery, Lower Castle St. Tralee or email trish@samhlaiocht.com or phone 066 7129934

For more information on Samhlaiocht please log on to www.samhlaiocht.com

Samhlaiocht is supported through grant aid from The Arts Council, Kerry County Council, Failte Ireland and by the generous corporate sponsorship of Kerry Group.