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Children's Art Competition

4 winners with the Art

Samhlaiocht has been synonymous with art and with promoting art to young people since its inception in 1992 and its current exhibition ties into both of these. Its latest exhibition features a selection of art created by children from all over the county.

"We were absolutely inundated with entries," said Jason O' Mahony, Director of Samhlaiocht. "We had entries from all over Kerry from Fenit to Kilcummin, Killarney to Castleisland. Students from 15 different schools submitted entries as well as numerous individuals. We had well over 150 entries all told!"

"One of the hardest tasks was deciding who the eventual winner should be," added Carmel Quinn, who coordinated the competition. "We spent a few days with all the art, all over the walls and all over every single desk top space in the office. We had everyone in the office driven mad!"

"Originally we were planning on having just one winner but there were so many fantastic entries that we couldn't do that!" added Carmel with a laugh. "Eventually we picked four overall winners. We framed all the winning entries and they take pride of place in the exhibition!"

"The children were asked to bear the theme of 'Legends' in mind when submitting work and we have pictures covering the whole wide range of Irish legends on the walls for the exhibition," said Jason. "The Children of Lir and The Salmon of Knowledge seemed to be particular favourites and the quality of the winning pictures was absolutely stunning!"

The four overall winners were Katrelyn Griffin, aged 11, from Blennerville National School who was inspired by the old Irish Legend, Deirde of the Sorrrows. Lena Harkin, aged 12, and also from Blennerville National School created a wonderful piece titled, A Fishy Fiction. Megan Fort from St. John's National School in Ashe Street in Tralee created a piece inspired by The Salmon of Knowledge. Emma Curran, aged 8, from Kilmoyley National School, created a piece inspired by The Children of Lir.

A selection of the entries, including the four overall winners, is on display in the Samhlaiocht Gallery. The exhibition opened on Thursday, April 1st, and will be on display through out Easter. The Gallery is located in The Old Presbytery on Castle Street, in the heart of Tralee. The Gallery is open from 10 am to 5 pm. Monday to Friday and is also open Easter Saturday, Sunday and Monday. It's free to visit and everyone is welcome.

The official prize giving took place at the exhibition opening in the Samhlaiocht Gallery in the Old Presbytery on Lower Castle Street, in the heart of Tralee, with prizes kindly sponsored by O' Mahony's Bookshop, Tralee, Polymath, Tralee and Smyth's Toyshop.

Time to Return: Gail Kelly

There's a new exhibition opening in the Samhlaiocht Gallery on Thursday, March 4th when Gail Kelly comes to Kerry. The exhibition, Time to Return, opens on Thursday, March 5th and runs through to Friday, March 26th.

"Samhlaiocht is thrilled that Gail Kelly is exhibiting in the Gallery," said Trish Thompson, Gallery Coordinator. "Her work really speaks to the beauty of Kerry and it's wonderful to see the county be a source of inspiration to artists from further afield, in addition to being a constant source of inspiration to those of us lucky enough to live here."

"My work is inspired by the Irish Landscape, especially the southwest of Ireland which I visit every year," says Gail. "I have produced two series of lithographs inspired by my travels in County Kerry and west Cork. I love this part of the country with its fabulous scenery and numerous ancient sites."

Gail works in lithography, which is produced by etching an image onto a flat surface, then copying the etched surface by applying ink, or the equivalent, to it and pressing another material against it. Gail has a number of black and white images, which are all stone lithography, and a number of coloured pieces, which are photo plate lithographs, in the exhibition, so it promises a nice combination of the two different techniques.

"I'm particularly fond of the old farmhouses and cottages that seem to fit into the landscape so well," adds Gail. "The colours of the Kerry countryside and the patterns of the farm land are a constant source of inspiration to me."

All the work in the exhibition feature limited edition lithographs and Gail's love of traditions, folklore and legends play a key part in the creation of each piece. "I like the idea of remembering and respecting the old ways of doing things, whether daily activities or annual events," explains Gail. "I love the interplay of narrow roads, mountain farms, distant islands and standing stones that all feature so heavily in the beautiful landscape of Kerry."

Gail's original prints have been exhibited widely both at home and abroad and are included in many public and private collections.

The exhibition runs until Friday, March 26th, in the 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.

Uncommon Threads - New Exhibition at Samhlaiocht

There's a new exhibition opening in Kerry's favourite little gallery on Friday, February 5th when Filament, a group of textile artists, come to Samhlaiocht. The exhibition, Uncommon Threads, opens on Friday, February 5th and runs for three weeks, featuring work in both 2D and 3D.

"Samhlaiocht is thrilled that Filament is exhibiting in the Gallery," said Trish Thompson, Gallery Coordinator. "Filament is a group of artists and it's great to be working with such a dynamic bunch. The exhibition will feature work by eight artists who are all members of the group and will offer an exciting mix and variety of modern and traditional textile techniques which will delight all who see it."

Textiles can be, by their very nature, fragile and Caroline Scholfield, one of the artists whose work appears, uses textiles to examine both the fragility of the human body and mind and our society, which encourages people to obsess about possessions rather than simply being comfortable with themselves.

Jean McKenna also loves working with fabric and thread, exploring the possibilities they offer in creating texture and colour, she dyes fabric and threads to create a rich palette from which to work, while pushing her skills in an experimental way to best express the love she has of textured surfaces. Her recent work is inspired by her garden in winter.

In fact, quite a number of the artists are inspired by nature. Hilary Bell, for example, draws on the landscape for inspiration. She is particularly moved by coastal rock and stone formations and feels the ancient past is hidden in the rocky landscape. She uses a variety of fibres and felting techniques to explore various surfaces and textures.

Shelia Jordan is similarly inspired and is interested in the delicate balance in nature, especially in the colours and patterns found in the everyday landscape. Working primarily in felt, she uses different varieties of wool, silk, bamboo, soya bean and cotton fabrics and sometimes even adds objects she has found. "Felting offers me an opportunity to slow down and work in a very tactile way," she says. "My current work is inspired by the coast where the colours of the sea and the quality of the light are magical with turquoise waters, beautiful stormy grey skies and foaming white water that washes up all sorts of treasures."

While nature is the inspiration for some of the artists, others are inspired by personal experience. Sarah Dawson's work is informed by a growing awareness of the huge influence which childhood experiences have. Her work is influenced by the transforming experiences of yoga, non-violent communication and mindfulness. Combining photography, textiles, natural materials, threads, wire and clays along with the written word, her work reflects these themes and her interest in texture and form.

Tara Ni Nuallain's mixed media textiles work is also a visual expression of personal experience. She is particularly interested in the marks we make on our environment, both those made deliberately and unconsciously, with her work using mixed media textiles. She also focuses on drawing, paper and fabric collage, overlaid with hand and machine stitch.

Other artists take a more traditional approach. Mary Heffernan, a recently retired school teacher, only discovered embroidery a few years ago, which opened the door into the delightful world of textile art. Colour, texture and stitch are her passions and she feels that simply messing around with fabric and yarn can often be the starting point of an idea. Words are another source of inspirations and she combines traditional hand stitch with more contemporary design and machine embroidery.

This love of traditional machine and hand embroidery techniques is shared by Lucinda Jacob, who invariably returns to textile pieces where the stitching and manipulation has been suggested by the material itself, such as old leather evening gloves, or, on the other hand, by simple graphic motifs. She combines the simplest hand and machine stitching with a layering of fabrics and simple figurative images such as birds and animals.

So whether drawing inspiration from the tactile nature of the fabrics, from nature, from personal experience or from more traditional work all the artists have one abiding theme - their love of textile and this love shines through in their work. The exhibition will be opened on Friday, February 5th, by Una Ni She, a textile artist from Dingle and will be a treat for all lovers of art and textiles.

The exhibition runs until February 26th, in the 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.

First Exhibition of 2010

An exhibition of artwork from three local artists will go on display in the Samhlaiocht Gallery on Thursday, 7th January, 2010 in the first exhibition of the New Year. The exhibition will feature work by Muiriosa Murphy, Ronan Smith and Silke Michels. All three artists are either Kerry-based or from Kerry originally. Their work was selected from the more than 50 artists who submitted work to Samhlaiocht, hoping for a spot in the Gallery's 2010 programme.

Muiriosa, who hails from Rathmore originally, but has lived in Kerry for years, is a born painter, sculptor and printmaker and finds inspiration in life but also in the tactile interaction with the materials she uses.

"Art is not just a job," says Muiriosa, "it is a life and a lifestyle. My life is about tuning in to my creative cycle, so I can be as prolific as possible. I also believe in following where my art takes me. Simply by doing and being open to the process; new methods, styles and ideas present themselves to me. When I am inspired, creating art is the most fulfilling and exciting experience. My mission is to explore, develop and push myself into new ways to express myself through art."

Ronan, who has a studio based practice in Gort, Co. Galway, but hails from Tralee agrees completely. and, over the last year, has developed an entirely new body of work. "It's my goal to make paintings that transcend their surface and in doing so become living things," he says. "I find that the most effective way for me to do this is by working with my own energy, the act of painting is my subject. I work with a sense of urgency, moving from canvas to canvas in quick succession. I focus on making the painting active and simple. I work towards creating shapes and colours that represent the reality within me."

Silke Michels is the third artist whose work features in the exhibition and it consists of digital photographic images of found objects, which she has documented over a period of two years. "I am intrigued by rustiness and decay of objects that have been placed in an 'unnatural' environment," says Silke. "Where do or where did these objects belong to in the first place? It's like discovering a different kind of beauty within an old rusty piece of material carelessly thrown away. What fascinates me about these objects is the way they have adapted to their new environment and become part of it. Nature's way of integration shows in color or shape, like seaweed growing out of an old shoe, or material that curves itself in the same way as the sand dunes it is draped in."

All three artists have strong Kerry connections. Muiriosa lives in Kerry and is also the curator and coordinator of the popular Reuben's Art Space on Ashe Street in Tralee. The Art Space organises monthly solo shows for artists. She graduated with a degree in Journalism in 2004 from Dublin City University and completed a postgraduate course in Fine Art in 2007 and has participated in a number of shows in Germany, Dublin, Cork and Kerry.

Ronan Smith, on the other hand, was born in Tralee and received a degree with distinction in Fine Art from Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art in 2004, continuing his art education with a post graduate MA in Visual Arts Practice from Dun Laoghaire in 2006. He has been involved in many group and solo exhibitions throughout his academic career.

Silke Michels is German but lives and works in Dingle. Her background is in Fine Art, Design, Textiles and Photography.

The three artists all have different backgrounds but all are, in one way or another, inspired by the beauty of Kerry.

Salon De Chiarrai 2009

An exhibition, styled after the famous 18th Century French exhibitions, Salon de Paris, and called the Salon de Chiarrai, is set to open in Tralee on Thursday, November 26th in the Samhlaiocht Gallery.

Local and national artists were invited to submit work for Salon de Chiarrai 2009, and the work came flooding in from all parts of the Kingdom. More than ninety pieces were submitted and will hang all over the walls in Samhlaiocht's intimate gallery which is located in The Old Presbytery on Lower Castle Street in the heart of Tralee.

"We were blown away with the number of entries for our Salon De Chiarrai show," said Jason O' Mahony, Artistic Director of Samhlaiocht. "We have received original paintings, drawings and etchings, large and small pieces and photography in a whole variety of styles."

The only conditions for submissions was that all work had to be ready for hanging, all work had to be for sale, and no work could have previously been exhibited at The Samhlaiocht Gallery.

"Kerry has always been known for its writers but looking at some of these pieces it's easy to imagine that in the future it'll be every bit as famous for its Artists," added O' Mahony.

The Samhlaiocht Gallery is at the forefront of bringing new and exciting artists to the public in Kerry and this show allows such artists an opportunity to have their work seen. The Salon show will, however, also feature work from many of the better known Kerry based artists as well as featuring some work from Artists making a name for them on a national scale.

The Salon de Chiarrai has a wonderfully eclectic feeling to it, featuring everything from stunning landscapes to sketches of colorful Kerry characters. The exhibition is definitely worth a trip for art lovers while affording a perfect opportunity to pick up a unique Christmas gift that will be treasured long after the holiday season passes.

The exhibition opens on November 26th in the Samhlaiocht Gallery, in the Old Presbytery, on Lower Castle Street, in the heart of Tralee and runs right through the Christmas period until 12 noon on December 23rd.

Opening times at the Gallery are from 9.00am to 5.00pm from Monday to Friday; the gallery is open to everyone and is free to visit.

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

Call for Entries for Salon De Chiarrai

In the style of 18th Century French exhibitions, Samhlaiocht will unveil the Third annual Salon de Chiarraí exhibition late this November. No wall space will be left uncovered!

Artists from all over Kerry are invited to submit work for the second annual Salon de Chiarrai, which will take place from 26th November to 12 noon on the 23rd December 2009 at The Samhlaíocht Gallery in The Old Presbytery, Lower Castle Street Tralee.

"We were blown away with the number of entries for last year's Salon De Chiarrai show," said Jason O' Mahony, Director of Samhlaiocht. "We received original paintings, drawings, etchings and photography, large and small pieces in a whole variety of styles."

All original paintings, drawings etchings and photography, in any medium are welcome and there is no limitation on the scale of the work, however, submissions are limited to one or two per Artist. The only conditions for submission are that all work must be framed and ready for hanging, all work must be for sale, and work must not have previously been exhibited at The Samhlaíocht Gallery.

Last year over 80 pieces of art were selected from the submitted works and hung all over the walls in Samhlaiocht's intimate gallery on Lower Castle Street in the heart of Tralee.

"Kerry has always been known for its writers but last year the amount of work that was submitted suggests that in the future it'll be every bit as famous for its Artists!" added O' Mahony.

Work must be delivered to The Samhlaiocht Gallery during the week of the 9th of November.

The Salon De Chiarrai Exhibition opens on 26th November and runs right through the Christmas period until 12 noon December 23rd.

Last year's Salon had a wonderfully eclectic feeling to it, featuring everything from stunning landscapes to sketches of colourful Kerry characters such as John B. Keane and sales were brisk as the public picked up unique Christmas gifts that were treasured long after the holiday season passed.

All work must be clearly labelled with name and address and contact details.

For more information on the Samhlaiocht Salon de Chiarraí please contact Trish Thompson on 066 712 9934 or through email on trish@samhlaiocht.com