Finding light in darkeness, a search for beauty and hope, art meets mental health with The In Between.
Do you remember that moment on the night of March 21st 2020, when our Taoiseach announced that Ireland was going into a full lockdown? After midnight we were instructed to stay home and not to venture further than 2km for exercise and grocery shopping.
Our lives changed dramatically in that moment. I moved house that night to be with my partner and his children. We did not know how long this restriction would remain in place. There were (and still are) many unknowns about this new coronavirus.
Overnight, an unusual silence descended upon our towns, villages and cities. Photographer Rob O'Connor took to the streets of Cork to capture those moments through his lens and this sparked an idea for colloborattive project called The Silence.
I am one of the 45 artists who was contacted by Art In Many Forms curator Pat O'Carroll, who asked me to contribute my reflections on what had happened. It was envisaged that our thoughts would accompany the photography of Rob O'Connor to tell a story of our collective experience.
You can read more about Pat O'Carroll and The Silence as featured in The Argus Regional Journal of The Independent. Pat hopes that "the entire project will be brought to life in 2021, with actors reading the words which have been contributed to a backdrop of images by Rob O'Connor who has inspired The Silence."
My contribution to The Silence is a poem entitled 'Stay In' and I share it with you now in the hope that it has some meaning for you at this point in time. We have come through so much as a nation with a common goal of keeping each other safe and it has required a lot of effort and sacrifice.
Without further ado I present to you my poem.
Through my art and writing I share stories and inspiration for transformation, healing and dreams turning to reality. When you visit my gallery you glimpse my journey, my authentic path. It took a ‘Break True’ moment to point me towards developing my artistic talents. It’s never too late to make a new start. I’ve achieved a lot in a relatively short time. My work has been presented in New York as part of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, has been displayed on county Post Office and has been show-cased on National TV. Read more about my art journey here.
Finding light in darkeness, a search for beauty and hope, art meets mental health with The In Between.
Thanks to Shaw’s department store in Carlow for their kind invitation to exhibit my art work once again in their window on Tullow Street, during the Carlow Arts Festival 2018. The pieces on display will be mostly from my art collection entitled ‘The Sacred Lives of Trees’ which many are familiar with from my exhibits […]
Join me in the Shaw Room of Carlow Library between Tuesday October 1st and Friday 11th October (2019) to view my art exhibition entitled 'From the Ocean to the Tree', a celebration of the influence of nature on our capacity to feel well. "Featuring colourful tree paintings from 'The Sacred Lives of Trees' alongside the […]