At this time of year many art galleries present group exhibitions – happy hunting grounds for present ideas. I particularly recommend the current group exhibitions at Solomon Fine Art Dublin, Lavit Gallery Cork, and Wilton Gallery, Glasthule. Particularly interesting is the annual Christmas exhibition at The Doorway Gallery, Dublin 2 which offers a chance to snap up miniature marvels for less than €500. Owner Denise Donnelly has opened a further gallery in Nutgrove Shopping Centre where everything is under €350 which belies the notion that art is out of reach.

Catherine Barron: Principles of light

In recent years, Catherine Barron has painted on salvaged metal plates, 12-inch Bakelite records, old book covers and vintage photographs, incorporating elements of the surface support into the finished paintings. Her latest series of paintings represents her interior creative life as a series of paintings with light as the focal point. Barron’s exhibition is at the Molesworth Gallery, 16 Molesworth Street, Dublin 2 until December 23; www.molesworthgallery.com.

Kevin McSherry: Signs of Life

The Dublin-based artist has exhibited in diverse locations from the Louvre in Paris and to Ormeau Baths Gallery, Belfast and his work hangs in the British National Collection. McSherry’s latest solo show of oils and acrylics, at the Zion Gallery, 6 Zion Road, Rathgar, is described as a paean to his adopted city of Dublin which he reappraised on numerous walks during lockdown. Love for family, place, community, and life are at the core of these paintings which are familiar, pensive and poignant; www.mcsherrystudio.com.

Winter Light: The Ark

The Ark on Eustace Street, Dublin is currently hosting a new exhibition which is suitable for all the family. “Winter Light” seeks out the joy, hope and beauty that can be found all around us in wintertime. The participating artists, who include Aideen Barry, Cartoon Saloon & Liselott Olofsson, Gabhann Dunne, Martin Gale, Martina Galvin, Orla Kaminska, Fuchsia MacAree and Helen O’Connell, were asked to respond to the theme of winter. They were inspired by all sorts of signs of the season, from nature, animals and their habitats, to the light in the winter sky and the solstice. The result is a collection of new artworks in a range of different media, from paintings and sculptures, to animation and interactive pieces, all designed to connect with children in particular; www.ark.ie.

Winter Exhibition: SO Fine Art Editions

The annual Winter Exhibition focuses on presenting a wide range of bold and interesting artworks; these include intaglio prints, drawings, paintings ceramics, photography and sculptures from contemporary artists and makers. Each of whom explores the unique characteristics of their medium to create compelling works that speak of the now; at Powerscourt Townhouse, South William Street, Dublin 2; www.sofinearteditions.com.

Group Winter Show: Memento, Looking back, looking forward

Opening on December 17 at the Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin 1, “Memento” considers our collective experience of the pandemic and features the work of ten artists with underlying themes as diverse as climate change and the environment, the plight of refugees and immigrants, but also the celebration of human resilience, the power of imagination and humour. Aisling Conroy, Yanny Petters, Kelly Ratchford, Annika Berglund and Eoin Mac Lochlainn are some of the participating artists whose work was presented at the gallery during 2021. The exhibition also looks forward with references to next year’s line-up of solo exhibitions by Vicky Smith, Conrad Frankel, Mary A. Fitzgerald, Claire Halpin and Sheila Naughton. The exhibition runs until February 27; www.oliviercornetgallery.com.

Cora Cummins and Saoirse Higgins: On Steady Ground/Unsteady Ground

This collaborative exhibition by artists Cora Cummins and Saoirse Higgins, opens on December 11 at Municipal Gallery, dlr Lexicon, Dún Laoghaire and features new work in etching, video, photography and sculpture. Curated by Marysia Wieckiewicz-Carroll, the exhibition connects the artists’ parallel research interests in environment and landscape as well as change and reflections on losing what seemed permanent. Residents of the Dún Laoghaire area, Cummins and Higgins have drawn on local research and looked outwards towards Everest and the remote island of Papa Westray, one of the most northerly islands in the Orkney Islands archipelago. In so doing, they set out to create a dialogue between the various levels and stages of experiencing both environmental change and loss, and personal change and loss; www.dlrcoco.ie.

Hattie Stewart: Lazy Days 

This immersive, playful installation at Hen’s Teeth Store, Dublin 8 runs until December 24. “Lazy Days” features an entire bedroom created in Hattie Stewart’s bold illustrative style, featuring a series of screen prints and art objects, including bedsheets, a figurine, mirror, rug and t-shirts – all with the tongue and cheek and style of this self-proclaimed “professional doodler”.  Stewart’s work has been featured in Vogue, Interview and Dazed magazines among others. All of the prints and art objects are available to buy instore and online too with prices from €8 upwards; www.hensteethstore.com.

John Doherty: Totems of the Highway

There’s still time to see “Totems Of The Highway” a new exhibition by John Doherty at Taylor Galleries, Kildare Street Dublin. The exhibition focuses on Doherty’s fascination with petrol pumps (the so-called totems of the highway) which he first noticed as a boy, stopping at country outposts for petrol and refreshments, and later became symbols of war and peace (after the first oil crisis in the 1970s); www.taylorgalleries.ie.

Living Canvas: Dublin

Channelling the interest in public art which has intensified during the last two years, property professionals IPUT Real Estate, have launched “Living Canvas” – an open air digital gallery which you may already have seen in two sites in Dublin city centre: Wilton Park off Baggot Street, and at the Tropical Fruit Warehouse on Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2. The huge custom designed screens in these locations (the largest in Europe) will be highlighting the works of leading Irish and international artists, following two years of collaborating with Irish creative production studio, Algorithm, and in partnership with the Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA) and the Museum of Literature Ireland (MOLI). The first participating artists include Clare Langan (pictured above), Bassam Al Sabah, Barbara Kneževi, Ailbhe Ni Bhriain, John Beattie, Aideen Barry, and Alan Butler, who this year was part of Ireland’s representation at the Venice Biennale. Do take a note of these large scale projections – new specially commissioned artworks will follow in 2022.

Annie Atkins: Winterfest

At The Guinness Storehouse a five-week Christmas experience called “Winterfest” is underway, curated by award-winning designer Annie Atkins. She is the graphic designer behind visually stunning films including Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel, The French Dispatch and Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies and has been enlisted by the Guinness Storehouse to create an immersive winter wonderland that promises to be a feast for the eyes. Iconic advertising retrieved from the Guinness archive is brought to life across all seven floors of the Guinness Storehouse with bespoke décor and twinkling lights. The pièce de résistance is a 15-metre modular tree installation in the atrium comprising multiple Christmas trees embellished with beautiful graphics designed by Aktins and black and gold decorations; www.guinness-storehouse.com.

Gerard Byrne: To The Sea

Gerard Byrne is exhibiting in Greenlane Gallery, Holyground, Dingle, Co Kerry, where he is presenting a collection of work created during this summer staycation in Dingle. His focus is on the coastal landscape, the wonders of nature, the power of the ocean and its imprint on the west coast of Ireland. As a former Lighthouse Technician with Irish Lights, Byrne’s inspiration comes from observing the vastness of the sea and the wild beauty of West Kerry (Europe’s most westerly point). For Byrne, painting is about revealing the beauty hidden in the everyday and he uses light and colour to present the world through his own lens, he allows us to view his vision. The exhibition runs until January 8; www.greenlanegallery.com.

Annual Exhibition: Artform

Back for its fourth edition in the impressive three-storey building at 44 The Quay, Waterford. The Artform exhibition is on until December 23 and runs alongside Winterval – the Waterford Christmas Festival. This year’s exhibition features art works by leading and emerging Irish artists included by invitation and through an open call selection process. In addition, in conjunction with GOMA Gallery of Modern Art and Theatre Royal, there is a retrospective solo show of artist Ben Hennessy, recipient of Artform “Waterford Platform” Award 2021; www.artform.ie.