ARTIST STATEMENT

My work is research-based, but is material focused. What that means basically is I am a visual artist that uses different materials to explore the themes and research that underpin my work. I use diverse materials from glass, paper, ceramics, textiles, painting, drawing, photography etc to delve into the stories and experiences of intergenerational women and draw inspiration from the concealed narratives and dynamics that have shaped our collective lives. 

MY STORY

Process takes precedence over product in my practice. I use materials the way time uses memory. Many are used during the creative process but only certain ones are accessible in the final product. This process is usually an exploration of the unseen through material manipulation. I enjoy using techniques and materials laden with innate histories and combining them with contemporary materials in non-conventional ways. Guided by the principles of Relational Aesthetics, I am interested in hidden narrative and the subtle discomfort that provokes introspection. I believe that art’s power lies in the conversations it initiates. I aim to engage viewers in an experience. I hope they question what they see before them and why.

I am (and therefore my work is) shaped by my lived experiences, which in turn enhances my practice.  I am always cognisant of the fact that I was present as a few cells in the ovaries of the fetus that would be my mother, in the womb of my grandmother, when she was born in 1899. So, how much of that reality do I carry?  How much was their’s to own and how much is my own?

The facts of me look like; Born in West Cork · Moved house eleven times by the age of eighteen · An only girl among five siblings · Loving father · Dyslexic · Survivor of childhood sexual abuse and adult domestic violence  · Introvert posturing as an extrovert · Resilient · Bolshie · Escaped Ireland in 1984 · Teacher for twenty years · Became a Mother · Empathetic · Curious · In Awe of the positive power of the universe  · Chameleon · Socially Awkward · Advocate · Renegade ·  Found ‘the one’ along the way · Returned to art college before turning fifty · Committed to staying alive and living; but like any woman of my age, that doesn’t even scratch the surface.

First-hand stories of intergenerational women fascinate me. The layers of habit, tradition, trauma, roles and responsibility are a focus of my work. I will go to my grave not understanding how anyone can witness an injustice and not intervene in the moment, regardless of personal consequence. My current research investigates intergenerational trauma and epigenetic inheritance from a female perspective. I am interested in the layers that make up our genetic code, how much of this is influenced by historical circumstance and experience, how much is simply predetermined code and how well do we know ourselves.