#	Ann Farrelly
1	Castle Roche 1999. Oil on canvas 92 x 72 cm Commissioned by Louth County Council for County Hall, Dundalk
2	Dundalk Courthouse 1999. Oil on canvas 92 x 72 cm Commissioned by Louth County Council for County Hall, Dundalk
3	Old Mellifont 1999. Oil on canvas 92 x 72cm Commissioned by Louth County Council for County Hall, Dundalk
4	View from Flagstaff 1999. Oil on canvas 92 x 72cm Commissioned by Louth County Council for County Hall, Dundalk

Ann Farrelly is a self-taught artist who has been interested in art from an early age. She was brought up on the outskirts of Dundalk. Ann is particularly interested in the Irish landscape and in the ancient monuments that abound there.

Read more about this artist here:

“If the talent and determination is there, follow your dreams”

Ann’s passion for painting is deeply rooted and manifested itself at a very young age. From the age of eleven, she won local awards and received national commendations for her work. She has faced the challenges of being an artist through strong will and determination, which she says are necessary traits to have in her profession. She works hard at identifying support for her practice and at locating avenues in which to market her work. In the late 1990’s, Ann travelled to the US accompanied by thirty of her paintings to broaden her profile. While she was there, she succeeded in showing in Greenwich, Connecticut. Since then, she has maintained her US connections and has an upcoming show in Washington, USA. She continues to exhibit at venues across Ireland.

 

 

 

 

 

	Ken Finnegan
1	Courthouse 2004. Photographic Print 157 x 96 cm Commissioned by Louth County Council in 2004.
2	Rapeseed Fields 2004. Photographic Print 157 x 96 cm Commissioned by Louth County Council in 2004.

Ken Finnegan is a Fine Art photographer. He holds a BA from the West Wales School of The Arts, University of Glamorgan and an MFA in Photography in from The University of Ulster. He is based in the North East of Ireland and exhibits widely.

Read more about this artist here:

“All professions are difficult at present, including photography but if you have a passion for photography/art pursue it fervently. In my life it started as a hobby and is still a hobby from which I make my living. I consider myself very lucky, every morning I get up to a ‘job’ which is my hobby. Education is paramount, never stop learning and never think you are too old to learn.”

Ken was born was born in 1959 and his love of photography started while working in Dublin. In 1985, he joined the Drogheda Independent newspaper group as staff photographer and within a few years, he had started his own company where he gained experience in a wide variety of photographic fields. 2005 saw him enter a phase when he became an educator in photography at O’Fiaich Institute of Further Education. He is currently course co-ordinator for the FETAC Level 5 and 6 Photographic Studies courses. This changed the focus of his practice to fine art after successfully completing a BA (Hons) in Photography at the West Wales School of the Arts, University of Glamorgan.

He also gained an MFA in Photography from The University of Ulster, Belfast in January 2012 where he studied under Professor Paul Seawright, Donovan Wylie, Professor Terence Wright and Dr. Alastair Herron.

We asked Ken about the works in the collection of Louth County Council and about his current practice:

The two pieces Courthouse and Rapeseed Fields were commissions by Louth County Council and were to reflect the North and Mid-Louth environment. They not only reflect the environment in which they were made but my love of this small County in which I live and make my living from.

My fine art photographic practice deals with the creation of the ‘social history of now’. The images deal with issues that are valid worldwide but are made on a local level, from a local perspective but no less important. Relational aesthetics could be viewed as an overall term to describe my practice. “Open-ended art practices, concerned with the network of human relations and the social context in which such relations arise” (Nicolas Bourriaud). The images are regarded as an exchange of information and perspectives between artist and viewer and rely on the responses of others to make it relational.

Find out more about this artist here: www.newspics.ie

	Emer Gillespie
1	Ducks of Glory 2007. Digital C-print (1/10) on black pvc support, diasec mounted 61 x 61  cm
2	Baby in Fridge 2007. Digital C-print (1/10) on black pvc support, diasec mounted 61 x 61 cm

Both purchased from Domestication, an exhibition at The Basement Gallery in 2007.

“Domestication: the day-to-day script of my home life, at times fraught with stress and responsibilities, but captured in simplistic images of beauty and calmness.”

Emer Gillespie is from Kildare and studied at GMIT, Central Saint Martins and The London College of Communications. She has exhibited in Ireland, the UK and the US. She is currently living and working in the UK.

Read an interview with this artist here:
Emer started out studying business but realised after a year of study that it was not what she wanted to do and that her passion lay with art and found that that was what was most important to her. We asked her about her practice.

What advice would you give to anyone who is thinking of making art as a profession?
Primarily, it is difficult to survive financially as an artist. With more and more cut backs being made in the arts and people generally buying less art, I have had to do other work to support my career. Luckily, I have been fortunate to work within the visual arts sector, first as a visual art developer and now as a lecturer of photography here in the UK.
Visual art is an extremely satisfying and rewarding career, but do beware that it is a competitive and at times stressful career. Making contacts and getting your work out there is essential, as is staying up to date with contemporary art practice by visiting exhibitions and talks.

Is Gallery representation important for you?
As my work is personal in nature and is not commercial in anyway, selling the work is not important to me. I am more concerned with getting the work out there and exhibiting it both nationally and internationally.

How you do keep your profile visible?
Exhibiting your work is the best way to keep your career current and relevant. Applying to every competition and open submission is not advisable. Focus on those that would progress your career and those which have professionals on their panel that you want your work to be seen by. Keep a strong online profile; a good website is essential. It is the first point of contact that someone with have with your work. Keep your website up to date, and build up a contact list so that you can notify people about when and where your work can be seen.

Can you tell us about the work you have in our collection?
Ducks of Glory & Baby in Fridge are from the project Domestication, which I made during my postgrad at Central Saint Martins in London in 2006. I had finished my degree in Galway, but wanted to focus on Photography. As there was no postgrad in photography on offer in Ireland at the time, I decided London was a good place to move to in order to progress my career.
When I moved over to Brighton in the UK, it was just my daughter and I. I went from having a strong network of friends and family to knowing no-one. I was house bound and so started to shoot my home environment. They began to take the form of domestic still-lives, something my work has continued focus on to date. This body of work was a key shift in my practice which continues to grow. The work was exhibited across the country and received some great feedback.

Tell us a little about your current practice.
I went on to finish my full MA in Photography in London College of Communications. It was a fantastic experience and key to the progression of my work and practice. Since then my work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally including Exhaust me, Galway Arts Centre, Family Narratives, RUA RED gallery Dublin, FFWE, Photographers Gallery, London, Altered States, Foley Gallery, New York and Shifting Perspectives, OXO tower, Southbank London. In December 2012 my work will be shown at the V&A Museum of Childhood with the photographic collective, The Lyrical and the Ordinary, for 5 months. I am currently lecturing in photography at Sussex Downs College in Lewes.

Find out more about Emer’s work here: www.emergillespie.com

	Angela Ginn
1	Land III 2007. Oil on canvas 34 x 34 cm Purchased from the artist’s solo exhibition at The Carlinn Gallery, Carlingford in 2007.

Angela Ginn is from County Antrim. She studied at Goldsmiths College, University of London. She worked and exhibited in London for a number of years before moving to Belfast. She works in a range of media and is represented in private and public collections across Ireland.

When Angela moved to Belfast she was commissioned to facilitate art projects in hospitals and schools which helped her support her personal art practice. The painting in this collection is from a series of paintings the artist made while staying on Rathlin Island, Co. Antrim. She spent eight summers painting in a studio she had on the island and the impetus for this work comes from being absorbed by the island landscape for long periods of time. This work depicts the exposed nature of the land on Rathlin, and forms part of a collection of expressive landscapes that represent a very creative period for the artist.

Having sustained engagement with a particular place has formed the backbone of her work and she has continued to work in this way in Provence, Pughlia and Tuscany while on international artist residencies. She has also had an enduring relationship with Annaghmakerrig, Co. Monaghan where she spends August each year. She continues to exhibit her work in venues throughout Ireland.

	Carl Doran
1	Evening In 1999. Oil on board 56 x 38 cm Purchased from the Inside/Outside exhibition at The Basement Gallery, 1999.
2	Table Set Two 2001. Oil on Canvas 76.5 x 46.5 cm Purchased from A Domestic Suite exhibition at The Basement Gallery, 2001.

Carl Doran is originally from Co. Westmeath. He studied Art and Design in Falmouth, Cornwall and at Limerick School of Art and Design. He lives and works in Limerick where he is an active member of Contact Studios.

Read more about this artist here:

Carl’s initial studies during his BTEC foundation in Art and Design in Falmouth, Cornwall gave him an insight into the myriad visual art disciplines and involved a lot of drawing which gave him a solid foundation from which to progress. He stayed in England for a further year before returning to Mullingar, Co. Westmeath. He continued his studies in Ireland, first completing a PLC course before moving on to a degree in painting from Limerick School of Art and Design. After graduating, he joined RAP (The Real Art Project), which was instrumental in setting up Contact Studios in Limerick.

Evening In, one of the works in the Louth County Collection comes from a time when he was completing his degree and had been making a series of oil paintings centring around interiors, mostly through layering glazes, giving a feeling of depth and atmosphere. The space portrayed is the apartment he shared with his friend, fellow graduate and studio colleague, Dromiskin Artist Ciarán O’Sullivan. It is one of the first paintings he did on a palette, an idea that germinated through his desire to react to a readymade surface. In later works he has repeatedly used the surface of paintings themselves as the palette incorporated into the compositions. Melted coloured crayons are used here to give added texture which the artist feels add a sense of playfulness to the work.

Table (set two) is from a series of Interiorscapes the artist made in 2001/2002.
The title references theatre/film through the word ‘set’, and table settings for two, a kind of pun, and a reference to the thought process involved.
It is an imagined space and the artist’s aim was to the combine pastel colours to create drama and atmosphere, while laying just enough content (a table and two chairs) to draw the viewer in, and create narrative tension, hinting at a story, alluding to the prospect of an incident.
A lot of the artist’s work is about this attempt to gain the viewers’ interest initially in an image or scenario, and to ultimately explore both the narrative and formal qualities of the work.

Discussing these works, Carl explained:

“I am still fond of these works and feel there was a real sense of progress between the two – one couldn’t happen without the other. There is a leap technically between the two, but a similar aesthetic, and a similar intention. I believe in there being two ways of evaluating art – intention and execution, and with these two pieces there was a good balance in this vein.”

Carl is currently based in Contact Studios, where he has been Chairperson for a number of years. He is working on a series called ‘Cats’ Tales’ which is a series of pure collages, oil paintings and drawings, begun when he befriended a stray cat (Cáit) on moving in to a new house. He has constructed tales based on her possible whereabouts (she went missing) as well as tales of her progeny. He balances his studio work with working on public art projects and exhibits his work on a regular basis.

His advice to anyone thinking of making art as a profession?

“Firstly, to find space to work in outside of your residence, make art for the right reasons, be nice to people and don’t overprice your work. The next challenge is to find your own routine, and to be happy with the volume/quality of the work made. Then to get your work shown is a major problem, and to be able to afford to present it. And of course, being able to have a reasonable quality of life with little means is perhaps the hardest challenge for an artist.
It really is all about doing what makes you happy. I couldn’t imagine doing anything outside of art on some level.”

Find out more about this artist here: www.carldoran.com

	Laura Gramzow
1	‘Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That’ 2016 Oil on canvas, antique taxidermy boars’ head (Ernesto) with resin plaque.110X150cm

	Elaine Griffin
1	Arrested Development II 2004. Monoprint on paper 43 x 52 cm
2	Arrested Development III 2004. Monoprint on paper 43 x 52 cm

Both purchased from Arrested Development, an exhibition at The Basement Gallery in 2004.

Elaine Griffin holds a BA in Design and a Master of Art, both from the National College of Art and Design. She has been the recipient of a number of awards including the Artist’s Residency in Heinrich Boll Cottage, Achill, The Tyrone Guthrie Bursary and she was the primary winner of the Liam Walsh award. Her work is held in The collections of Queens University, Belfast, The Boydell Glass Collection, Kunstation Kleinsassen, Germany, Mayo County Council Collection and the collection of The National Museum of Ireland.

Read more about Elaine’s work here
Elaine Griffin majored in glass-making at NCAD. In terms of working with glass as a medium, she says: “I think I was very attracted to the luminosity and vulnerability of the material”.
In her final year she won a competition to design a body of one-off works at Waterford Crystal which ran concurrent with her final year show. This propelled her into a career immediately on leaving college.

She lectures at The National College of Art and Design which helps to supplement her art-making and advises anyone thinking of making art as a profession to “get trained up in the business side of making work: making grant applications, applying for commissions and making tax returns. I think it is a difficult career choice, particularly in the current economic climate when there are so many cuts in the arts. All that being said, it can be an incredibly rewarding career and if you are moved in that way, you will just have to be creative – it’s part of your nature”.

Her works are held in the collection of Dundalk Town Council and are black and white monoprints: white ink on black paper. They were made by the artist covering her face in white paint and then printing the impressions from her face onto the black paper. She says of the pieces “they are pretty strange and emotive works”.

The pieces were made in 2002 as part of a body of work entitled Arrested Development which formed the body of research and outcomes for her MA which she did at NCAD.

“The whole body of work, which was mainly sculptural in nature was a commentary on the building boom that was going on in Ireland at that time and how the need for ownership of a house/apartment was putting people under undue stress and was ultimately crushing their spirit and their life……The larger sculptures in this exhibition where large coffin shapes with glass figures in distressed poses under concrete rubble and sealed in with double glazed units.”

When she was making this body of work, it was the height of the boom and Ireland was only on the way up. “I was certainly seen to be a doom-sayer in certain quarters. As it turned out this body of work has turned out to be incredibly prophetic and I wonder if the body of work was shown today how different the reaction would be to it. Interestingly when I first showed the work around a number of venues in Ireland it was always people from working class backgrounds who could really relate to the work. I’m sure that demographic would be different today.”

Elaine has been working on public art commissions for the past number of years which she feels has been a natural progression from her earlier studio work. The majority of her work revolves around the relationship of people to their environment and how external factors influence or form perspective. She feels that working in a public realm allows for further exploration of these factors and the idea of working with the permanency of bronze after the fragility of glass is appealing to her. A lot of the public art commissions she has undertaken have a community element to them and often involve collaborating with other experts or members of the community where the work is to be sited, for example local historians and archaeologists.
“I really enjoy this working process and the more expanded view that producing art for public spaces brings with it. Working with community also gives a strong meaning and value to the work that is quite opposite to studio practice. Ultimately I would like to be working in both ways in my career as certainly one mode of practice informs the other and vice versa.”

Find out more here: www.elainegriffin.net

	Claire Halpin
1	Eidetic Amalgam 4 2006. Oil & photo-transfer on canvas 76cm X 90 cm Purchased from the Eidetic Amalgams exhibition at The Basement Gallery, 2006.

Claire Halpin is from Dublin and studied Fine Art at the Dublin Institute of Technology and at Gray’s School of Art, Aberdeen. She had a number of solo exhibitions in Ireland and has exhibited widely in group exhibitions in Ireland, Georgia, China, the UK and the USA. Her paintings are included in many private, public and corporate collections.

 

Watch a short video of Claire Halpin here: