The artist’s new exhibition is informed by her love of Ireland’s offshore islands from Achill Island in Co Mayo to Mew Island in Co Down …
Cork, Sherkin
How would you describe your work?
My art is influenced by my love of Irish culture. It has led me to investigate and document issues that reflect social and demographic changes in the country, especially in rural Ireland. I’m interested in the landscape and topography. I work in a variety of media: painting, printmaking, photography, audio and video. For this exhibition, I returned to the first medium I ever used, oil painting.
Galway, Inishbofin
Who or what was pivotal to your career?
Many people have inspired me on my journey, including my family. My first tutor Henry Healy, RHA, encouraged me to limit my colour palette and observe the spaces between things. The greatest encouragement came from Margaret Becker, manager of the Leinster Printmaking Studio in Clane. Probably my greatest awareness of art and its value in society came from Maria Clake, a former tutor in NCAD. The pivotal moment on my art journey was when I recognised and accepted that what matters most to me is my heritage.
Galway, MacDara
What has visiting the islands revealed to you?
Islands hold a fascination for me. They appear like a place to retreat from the din of modern civilisation. In fact, many of the first inhabitants were part of the early Celtic church, with remains of settlements still be seen on some. By visiting, and reading stories and poems about them, I realised that they’re their own worlds. My favourite book is a little-known diary called Cín Lae Eibhlín Ní Shúilleabháin, an account of life on the Great Blasket in 1923 by the sister of Muiris Ó Súilleabháin (Fiche Blian ag Fás/Twenty Years a-growing). Islanders have an admirable resilience and sense of place. I appreciate how much simpler life seems there.
Kerry, Inis de Bro
What do you hope visitors gain from your exhibition?
I hope that they get a sense of the islands from the different ways I painted them. Each island is unique and should be recognisable to the viewer. The short texts that accompany the exhibition might encourage visitors to read more about them.
Donegal, Reachlainn Uí Bhirn Rathlin O’Birne
How and where do you work?
I mostly work from my studio at home in Kildare. I’ve spent very productive periods in various art residencies: the wonderful Tyrone Guthrie Artist Centre in Co Monaghan; Cill Rialaig, founded by Noelle Cambell-Sharpe and on the Clare Island residency. If I use watercolours I paint “en plein air” but when I use oils, which is the case in this exhibition, I work in a studio. It can sometimes take ages for me to be satisfied with a painting. I could go back and rework it over months. I started painting these islands almost six years ago and I only finished some of them in the last month.
Do you have any tips for island visits?
I think you have to stay for a while to meet, talk to and get to know the people to get an idea of life on an island. My tip to a visitor is to go outside the tourist season and read a book about the island while there. Stories can bring the place to life. My favourite island to spend time on is either the Great Blasket with “Cín Lae Eibhlín Ní Shúilleabháin” or Inishmore with Tim Robinson’s “Stones of Aran”.
Need to know: Pamela de Brí’s exhibition “Ar an Imeall – On The Edge Exploring Ireland’s Offshore Islands” runs from April 26 to June 7 at Kilcock Art Gallery in Co Kildare, or view the collection online at www.pameladebri.com and www.kilcockartgallery.ie.
SEE MORE: The Dream Pool – Artistic License With Ailbhe Ní Bhriain
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