vento sol vento

In 2013 I was honoured to be invited by the Irish Embassy and the Irish Association to exhibit my work as a celebration of the Irish Presidency of the European Union. The exhibition was staged in the fabulous Palacio Independente in the centre of Lisbon. The opening night was a Diplomatic event and many Guests of the Embassy, Ambassadors and Cultural Attaches were present.

Banner

actually more exited by the poster than anything else!

Dr. Declan O'Donoghue, the Irish Ambassador formally opened the exhibition

The paintings

Iconic palms at the entrance to the Palace of Monserrate

Colares Road Sintra

Dark Trees Janas

Arum Lillies

Hemlock and Queen Anne's Lace

Ipomea ( morning glory)

The Palace Border Monserrate

Arum Lillies

Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums detail

Nasturtiums

Dahlias

Woodbrooke, County Wicklow Ireland

Breadfruit

Delphinium

The Casas Novas Orange Tree

Uvas

The Guinchou Road

pond

I was invited to be the inaugural Artist in Residence at the World Heritage Palace and Gardens of Monserrate in Sintra, Portugal. I spent eighteen months painting in the gardens and the surrounding countryside making a series of paintings which were exhibited in the palace.

The artist at work

The Palace

The Opening Night

The Paintings

many of the paintings from the earlier Lisbon show were also exhibited

NOTES ON THE PAINTINGS AND THE EXHIBITION

What is the nature of enchantment?

A layering of realities, a resonance which has a sense of “the other”, a scintillation of significance, human time suspended or slowed, plant time unhindered, weaving into the abandoned spaces.

With its repeating history of both splendour and decadence the palace and gardens of Monserrate emanate this quality of enchantment.

Part of the nature of enchantment is the way we happen upon it, our discovery is filled with a sense of chance as though we are being led in, that things are being revealed to us, and to discover and wander in the gardens in Monserrate is to sense the harmony of plant form and ornament and to be led in to areas of extraordinary stillness and beauty, where plants and architectural elements weave together and where deep perspectives are revealed.

As a painter I was enchanted by the design of the gardens, the variety and combination of trees and plants, the colours and the shapes that they formed in space, and the way all of this changed mood with the light and the weather.

Sao Bento Metro Architect: Souto de Moura

The Porto Metro offers a metaphysical experience.
In Sao Bento particularly the emptiness, scale and grandeur of the space creates an environment in which the traveller is both essential and incidental.
There are fleeting moments of great beauty where the human forms act as design elements.
The lighting and the deep spaces create silhouetted human forms which enhance the abstract qualities.
To stand back and observe the coming and going of travellers is to see both randomness and purpose simultaneously.
The station acts as a stage, a vessel, a conduit and microcosmic environment through which matter passes.
The steel silver and pale blues resonate and are reflected in
the polished floors, and in an echo of the airport in Porto, there is a sense of deep water.

It is very Catholic.

vento sol vento

Lisbon Show to celebrate the Irish Presidency of the European Union

"Enchantment at Monserrate" MONSERRATE PALACE AND GARDENS Artist in residence 2012 -2013

I was invited to be the inaugural Artist in Residence at the World Heritage Palace and Gardens of Monserrate in Sintra, Portugal. I spent eighteen months painting in the gardens and the surrounding countryside making a series of paintings which were exhibited in the palace.

The artist at work

The Opening Night

The Paintings