Artists in Craft, Cill Rialaig Arts Centre
Some of my work is included in the Artists in Craft exhibition at the Cill Rialaig Arts Centre in Ballinskelligs, Co. Kerry. I am grateful for the opportunity to have spend a second week at one of the cottages at the retreat, making new work, meeting old and new friends, experiencing the peace, focus and beauty of the place and even visiting Skellig Michael.
Papercut Installation, Other Dimensions, Luan Gallery, Athlone, photo: © Brain Cregan, 2019
Ask the Artists with exhibiting artists Laura Angell, Fiona Mulholland and Paul Bokslag, Wednesday 29 May at 6pm, facilitated by Joanne Laws, critical writer and editor. Papercutting Workshop with Paul Bokslag, Wednesday 29 May 3-5pm, as part of Other Dimensions, Luan Gallery, Athlone, Co. Westmeath. Exhibtion continuous until 9 June 2019.
other dimensions, posterdesign: Simon Daly
I am looking forward to showing new work alongside Laura Angell and Fiona Mullholland at Other Dimensions, an exhibition showcasing abstract sculptural work in a range of media in the beautiful Luan Gallery in Athlone, Co. Westmeath. The exhibition will be opened by Joanne Laws, critical writer and editor on Friday 12 April at 18:00 and continues until Sunday 9 June 2019. Opening times: Tuesday – Saturday 11:00 – 17:00 and Sunday 12:00 – 17:00.
Cill Rialaig
I am grateful for the opportunity to spend a week in Cill Rialaig, the artist retreat in Ballinskelligs, Co. Kerry, to make new work for an upcoming exhibition.
Cill Rialaig, Cottage 2
Medieval Mile Museum
This new papercut installation is on view at the Medieval Mile Museum in Kilkenny City over the holidays.
The two central pieces were created by a wonderful and hardworking group of participants in workshops in the museum during the month of November. The patterns used are inspired by Blackletter – a script used throughout Europe in the medieval period. This script appears in the civic documents on display and also on the stone funeral monuments found throughout the museum and graveyard.
The two outside pieces were made by the Open Circle Community Arts Collective in 2017 and were part of a bigger installation at the Goods Shed, MacDonagh Junction, Kilkenny.
A big thank you to everyone who contributed to the installation, including Kilkenny Civic Trust, Siobhan O’Brien of Kilkenny Carlow Educational Training Board who supported the November workshops, Grace, Alice and all the staff at Medieval Mile Museum and Sheila Jordan of Open Circle.
A special thanks to all who gave their time and creativity to work on these pieces: Ita Bourke, Sophie Butler, Cate Cassin, Carmen Del Poza, Helen Dobson, Aoife Doherty, Fidealis Doherty, Polly Donnellan, Catherine Duff, Fiona Eastwood, Grace Fegan, Anne Marie Fitzgerald, Claire Fitzpatrick, Ann Marie Gray, Claire Griffin, Aileen Kavanagh, Enya Kennedy, Dominika Mlynarska, Lorraine Murphy, Sandra Murphy, Brenda Murtagh, Alice Norwood, Alison O’Flynn, Lisselott Olofsson, Siobhán Pullen, Simone Quinn, Ciara B Stapleton, Fiona Wallace and Zoe Young.
‘Walking on Sunshine’, Marker and Acrylic Ink on Board, 2018, 60x60cm
I have two pieces in this year’s Open Submission Exhibition at the Dunamaise Arts Centre in Portlaoise, Co. Laois. The show features works of art by 52 artists from around the country, selected by guest curator Claire Behan and I feel very honoured to have been awarded a month-long residency at The Arthouse, Stradbally, Co. Laois. The exhibition continues until Saturday 5 January 2019.
Revolve, .Obj Digital Handmade, National Design & Craft Gallery, Kilkenny, 2018
I am looking forward to talking about my work which is currently on show at the National Design & Craft Gallery in Kilkenny this Thursday 18 October at 18.30
Free Late Date Event: Meet The Makers
Join artist and designer Paul Bokslag with fellow exhibitor Marius Watz for our late date evening this Thursday. Paul will discuss his inspiration and processes involved in creating his Revolve paper installation. Marius will discuss his site-specific wall drawings and how he uses visual abstraction through generative software. This event is part of our .OBJ exhibition education and outreach programme at the National Design and Craft Gallery. The exhibition is curated by Nora O’Murchu.
In March I received an email from Edo Smitshuijzen who proposed to include some of my typefaces in his publication on Mashrabiya Fonts. I was delighted to receive a copy of the beautifully produced book in the post today, generously highlighting eight of my fonts and even 3D vase renderings of a papercut.
Mashrabiyas are an iconic element of Arabic architecture. Providing shade, air circulation and privacy, all at the same time. This book showcases a number of font designs that can be used to produce Mashrabiya screens, including some possible applications. It aims to fill in a peculiar gap and thus enrich the Arabic visual culture with this new category of fonts.
The 216-page full colour paperback can be ordered through Khatt Books, publishers on design and visual culture of the Middle East and North Africa.
Bring Your Own Chair
As part of Bring Your Own Chair, I visited primary schools in twelve towns to deliver papercutting workshops to over 900 children. They created ‘Town Motifs’ based on the nature, buildings and heritage of their town and I worked with all images to design 14 individual A3 sized posters, one for each school. Damn Fine Print did a beautiful risograph printing job on the posters.
Bring Your Own Chair is a portrait of twelve rural towns and villages accross counties Killkenny, Waterford and Wexford, led by visual artist Michelle Browne and produced by Workhouse Union. Towns and villages include Kilmacthomas, An Rinn, Tallow and Passage East (Waterford); Ballyhack, Taghmon, Bunclody, Courtown (Wexford); and Coon, Goresbridge, Slieverue and Kells (Kilkenny).
Bring Your Own Chair is funded by the Arts Council Ireland Making Great Art Work – Open Call Award and with further support from Create Ireland/Collaborative Arts Partnership Programme, Design & Crafts Council of Ireland, Waterford Council, Kilkenny Arts Office, County Wexford and Kilkenny LEADER Partnership.
Butterslip, Kilkenny
A big thank you to Anne from Butterslip on the corner of Rose Inn Street and Kieran Street, for asking me to show some of my paperuts in her shop during Kilkenny Arts Festival 2018.
