OLC ART

Saturday, January 28, 2012

1st Yr Clay Tiles

A few months ago a group of 1st years took a trip to the Botanic Gardens in Dublin. Since then they have made clay tiles in response to the patterns, textures and forms they observed and documented while on the trip.

Amy Kiernan

Precious Edosomwan

Emily Carton

Ana Gardiner

Chloe Bickmore

Cáit Murphy

Lisa Reilly

Samuel Walsh Exhibition

Here is some information about the current exhibition in The Highlanes Gallery.

Samuel Walsh: The Coercion of SubstanceJanuary 20 - February 29, 2012
Artist’s Talk and Exhibition Opening: Friday 20 January at 6.15pm, and 7.00pmTo be opened by Medb Ruane, Writer and psychotherapist, UCD
The Coercion of Substance is a new body work by the artist Samuel Walsh who describes his practice as one that emerges “from endless dualities: drawing and painting, line and colour, art and audience, seeing and drawing and poetry and prose.”
For this exhibition at Highlanes Gallery the work of Samuel Walsh will fill the main Lower Gallery space with a spectacle of dualities. Meeting the challenge of this unique gallery space, a former Franciscan Church, the artist has created a considered environment of canvases which will play with a further polarity: intimacy and exposure.

The title of this exhibition is taken from Seamus Heaney's poem The Artist. Multitudinous square canvases will fill the gallery; vivid colours are criss-crossed with the heavy black lines. These paintings, made between 2008 and 2011, are influenced by places, experiences and colour memory.

Each work has its' own pattern of line interspersed with pockets of colour suggesting aerial field patterns, stained glass windows or sun shining through branches. This exhibition will be a merging of painting and drawing through which Samuel articulates memory and experience.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

The Carol Service

Well done to everyone involved with the Carol Service. It was a huge success with fabulous music, dance and art, all tied together under the theme of 'Love'. A huge thank you to all the students who helped to make the artwork for the service.
Here is a photograph of just a few of the hundreds of danish hearts that were created for the service. There was one to represent every student and member of staff, nearly a thousand in all. Every heart had a wish written by students and staff inside.

Some of the dancers in action

Detail of one of the hearts that hung over the stage. Each one was stenciled with 'love' in many languages

The danish hearts were used to decorate the trees during the service. Everyone took a heart (with a wish) away with them at the end of the service.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

1st Year Postcard Swap

The First Years have produced these fantastic postcards for a postcard swap. They are ready to be posted off to Roscommon for a group of 1st Years to receive.

Kerrie Moran, 1.1

Dacia Smith, 1.1

Kayleigh Myers, 1.1

Aisling Kane, 1.6

Orla Molloy, 1.6

Rachel Connolly, 1.6

Ana Gardiner, 1.4

Meadhbh Honan, 1.4

Precious Edosomwan, 1.4

Caitlin Donnelly, 1.4

Civil Rights etc. Rita Donagh and Richard Hamilton

6th Year Students are taking a trip to Dublin next Tuesday to visit The Hugh Lane Gallery and the National Museum on Kildare St.

Here is some information about the temporary exhibition currently on at The Hugh Lane.

Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane is pleased to present this major retrospective exhibition by two of Britain’s most respected artists, Richard Hamilton and Rita Donagh. The exhibition includes works from the 1960s to this decade that primarily relate to Ireland, but also to seminal moments of social change in recent history. The two artists share a viewpoint of ‘political or moral motivation’ and a concern for human rights and justice, while also using images directly taken from popular culture and the mass media. The Hugh Lane has worked closely with the artists on this exhibition which explores both their shared concerns and divergent practices.
Richard Hamilton was a key member of the Independent Group and one of the leading artists during the emergence of Pop Art in Britain in the 1950s. Born in 1922, he studied at the Royal Academy Schools before and after the war and subsequently in the Slade School of Art. Hamilton’s work, addressing themes of consumerism, contemporary culture, politics and war, continues to be hugely influential and respected internationally. Civil Rights etc. concentrates on his iconic political works, including Kent State and Swingeing London, as well as the striking images from Northern Ireland during the Troubles. The exhibition also features the installation Treatment Room, a response to Margaret Thatcher 's reign as Prime Minister in Britain and his more recent protest pictures created in the context of the war in Iraq in the early 90s, as well as more recently the 00s and the current situation in the Middle East.

For more information visit the Hugh Lane website
http://www.hughlane.ie

You can read a review of the exhibition in the Irish Times here
Review

6th Year Charcoal Portraits

Photographs by Lee Jeffries

These Impressive black and white portraits full of emotion by Lee Jeffries provided the perfect subject matter for charcoal portraits. Lee Jeffries lives in Manchester in the United Kingdom. Close to the professional football circle, this artist starts to photograph sporting events. A chance meeting with a young homeless girl in the streets of London changes his artistic approach forever. Lee Jeffries recalls that, initially, he had stolen a photo from this young homeless girl huddled in a sleeping bag. The photographer knew that the young girl had noticed him but his first reaction was to leave. He says that something made him stay and go and discuss with the homeless girl. His perception about the homeless completely changes. They become the subject of his art. The models in his photographs are homeless people that he has met in Europe and in the United States: "Situations arose, and I made an effort to learn to get to know each of the subjects before asking their permission to do their portrait." From then onwards, his photographs portray his convictions and his compassion to the world.

Aoife Sharkey

Each of the students chose a photograph to reproduce using charcoal. They created their portraits by blacking in their page with charcoal and then working back into the page using an erasing technique. They used putty to take the charcoal back off the page for the highlights and slowly the faces emerged from the darkness.
Here are the results

Helen Campbell

Christina Lynch

Hannah Clayton

Megan Clarke

Stephanie Smith

Sunday, May 22, 2011

2nd Yr Shoe Sculptures

The 2nd Yrs had to construct a shoe from cardboard and papier mâché based on the form of one of their own. High top runners were a popular choice, with stiletto heels and boots also among the mix. When the form of the shoe was constructed the decoration and finish of the shoe had to be inspired by the artwork of a famous artist.