ABOUT 

ARTIST STATEMENT

AS AN INDEPENDENT VISUAL ARTIST AND RESEARCHER,  MY PRACTICE INTERROGATES THE PERCEPTUAL AND AESTHETIC EXPERIENCE OF DRAWING BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE GALLERY SPACE. I’M INTERESTED IN DRAWING’S CAPACITY TO BRING FORTH THE ESSENCE OF A PHENOMENA WHILE MAKING CONNECTIONS THAT ARISE BETWEEN THE AESTHETIC EXPERIENCE AND THE SURROUNDING ENVIRONMENT AND/OR SOCIETY. MY PRACTICE IS WONDER-LED WHEREBY THE MEANING OF THE DRAWING ARISES OUT OF A PHENOMENALITY RATHER THAN DRAWING WHICH IS PREDETERMINED OR PROCESS-LED.  MY PRACTICE SEEKS TO OPEN UP A TEMPORARY HOLDING SPACE WHERE DEEP THINKING ABOUT DRAWING CAN OCCUR BEYOND THE REALMS OF NARRATIVE, TECHNIQUE AND ILLUSION. MY HOPE IS TO STIR A SENSE OF WONDERMENT IN THE VIEWER SO THAT THEY MAY BE REAWAKENED TO THE BASIC EXPERIENCE OF THE WORLD (VAN MANEN, 2011). 

biography
​
GRADUATED FROM DIT (BA FINE ART), (2000) AND  A MPHIL (FINE ART, RESEARCH) IN NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY, AUSTRALIA, (2013). 

DRAWING WONDER: EXAMINING WHETHER DRAWING CAN INDUCE A SENSE OF WONDER THROUGH PRACTICE-BASED RESEARCH

DRAWING DECENTERED: ESTABLISHING ONLINE PLATFORM IN COLLABORATION WITH FOUR PROFESSIONAL IRISH ARTISTS/ACADEMICS TO TEST AND EXPERIMENT THE PARAMETERS OF CONTEMPORARY DRAWING PRACTICES IN IRELAND

CDP: COOLANEY DRAWING PROJECT. CURATOR AND LEAD ARTIST WITH LOCAL RESIDENTS FROM THE VILLAGE OF COOLANEY IN CO. SLIGO. THE AIM OF THE GROUP IS TO EXPLORE LOCAL SOCIAL HISTORIES AND MATERIAL CULTURE THROUGH DRAWING, PERFORMANCE DRAWING AND EXPANDED FIELD OF DRAWING TO ALTER HOW LOCAL RESIDENTS VIEW THEIR SURROUNDINGS. 

COLLABORATIONS:ONGOING COLLABORATION FOR PAST FIVE YEARS WITH DR ANNEMARIE MURLAND (AUSTRALIA). DEVELOPING COLLABORATION WITH ARTIST AND LECTURER GREG BURGOYNE UK), EIMEAR MULVEY, NATIONAL SEAN NOS DANCER 2018.

RECENT EXHIBITIONS | THE MODEL, SLIGO, 2017, DAMER HOUSE GALLERY, LIMERICK, CATALYST ARTS, BELFAST, CENTRE FOR CREATIVE PRACTICES, DUBLIN (2016/2017) , MUNICIPAL GALLERY DLR LEXICON, DUBLIN (2016), THE WATERWAYS IRELAND, ENNISKILLEN (2016)
.
RECENT RESIDENCIES| LEITRIM SCULPTURE CENTRE, 2017, CENTRE FOR CREATIVE PRACTICES, 2017, TINAHELY COURTHOUSE ARTS CENTRE, (2015) AND RYSS, NSW, AUSTRALIA FUNDED BY NSW ARTS COUNCIL ( 2013, 2011, 2010) 
​
RECENT PRESENTATIONS| PANELLIST |ARTIST TALKS 'DRAWING AS WONDER' HUNT MUSUEM, LIMERICK (2018), ARTS IN EDUCATION NATIONAL DAY, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND (2018), 'DRAWING CONVERSATIONS 2', COVENTRY UNIVERSITY, (2017), VISUAL ARTS IRELAND, 'GET TOGETHER' (2017), 'NEW PERSPECTIVES ON DRAWING' FOR BART LODEWIJKS’ EXHIBITION IN THE MODEL, SLIGO (2016), THE 20TH AUSTRALASIAN CONFERENCE FOR IRISH STUDIES IN UNIVERSITY OF NSW, AUSTRALIA AND IN THE NOT JUST NED: THE TRUE HISTORY OF THE IRISH IN AUSTRALIA AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AUSTRALIA

COLLECTIONS | PUBLIC: OFFICE OF PUBLIC WORKS, IRELAND, WICKLOW COUNTY COUNCIL, LISSADELL HOUSE ART COLLECTION, MAITLAND REGIONAL GALLERY, NSW AUSTRALIA, MERCURE HOTELS, NSW AUSTRALIA. PRIVATE COLLECTIONS ARE IN IRELAND, AUSTRALIA, UK AND USA
​

newsletter- studio  

​Studio - The Model Sligo, Ireland 2016- present

---

​Studio - The University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia, 2013

---

STUDIO - nARARA, NSW, Australia 2013-4

---

​STUDIO - lISSADELL hoUSE, sLIGO, iRELAND 2015

---

---