La Galerie Impromptu (286c Harold’s Cross Road -right beside The Brick House Café).
Opening at 6.30pm Thursday June 16. By invitation only. Exhibition runs until June 26.
About the exhibition
Each year, I hold an exhibition that is completely independent of the gallery system to focus on exploring what’s essential in my work, free of external pressures. This is my annual Special Show where you can see me as I am. This time, It’s going to be a popup gallery! The owner of Rosie O’Grady’s bar in Harold’s Cross has very generously offered out one of his adjacent units; a shop that fronts onto the main street. It will be over this unit that I will hang the ‘La Galerie Impromptu banner.
As an artist, I’m not only interested in the imaginative and conceptual nature of my art; I’m dedicated to the craft side too. For me they’re indivisible. I have always wanted to create things with mind AND my hands. My influences are broad: Hopper, definitely; classical painters for their level of craft but also the surrealists. More strongly though, by so-called Pop Culture. I just love great illustration work. The imagination and highly accomplished artistry.
So this is my one-man Cultural Event. These are my Flights of Fancy. This is my own personal Milan and Paris fashion show.
The work in this show is an eclectic mix -works completed in the last year or so. Although there’s no common theme, one thing that re-occurs is that of flight. Flying racing fish; dirigible cricketers; gilded birds and flighty notions.
So, feathered friends; I’m offering you the opportunity to become an integral part of this show: Proceeds from this crowd-funding campaign will cover the costs of framing, refreshments for the opening and talks, publicity and printing of a catalogue and other printed material. In return, my flock, I shall reserve a special place for you in my heart and in the lush pastures, fragrant forests and cool mountains of this benevolent and expanding land, AND what’s more you’ll even receive something real, that you can hold in your hands änd hang on your wall, in return. Please look at the schedule of the rewards that await supporters and patrons of the arts below. Take wing, citizens! For when we flock together, we are strong!
Reproduced from the ‘Our Community‘ page in the top menu.
I’m writing an open letter because you’re almost impossible to find. I think it’s vital that the environment in which we live contains art. We have plenty of places to eat. We can drink buckets of coffee. There are lots of shops where we can buy provisions. We have great pubs, enough accountants and enough solicitors and many estate agents. We all live together and share this locality.
What we have very little of is Beauty in our environment. Why not do what you can to make this place look better. Little things matter a great deal: just take a look at what Terenure Office Supplies do with their fabulous window displays for the children around Christmas and other significant occasions during the year. Magnificent. They deserve our full support.
This does matter. This activity brings joy -and that’s what will motivate people to turn up to our village centre and maybe even buy stuff -or rent our vacant properties!
Here in Terenure, (and indeed all over Ireland) we have lots of empty commercial buildings. Some have been vacant for manyyears. Why not use Art to show how a village could look? Just a thought. Use Art to create a buzz around the place. Show how the buildings look when in use and lit brightly. Give something back to the people who we rely on to support the businesses in our locality.
Take a moment to think about how it could be if we all pull together. Of course, I’m asking that this be done as a community service. I don’t have any money to pay for premises. I hardly have the money to pay my own mortgage; I just have my art, my enthusiasm and great connections to many wonderful, joyful artists with global reputations. I’m willing to muck in and organize a fantastic show for nothing; including sourcing print, putting together an opening party, publicising the event and manning the show for the duration of maybe a month. Will you muck in?
Have a look at the splendid video below, produced by the wonderful Sophie Spendel who’s over from Holland, a country where they celebrate creativity and beauty and community activism. It’s hard enough when the economy bursts -and then the clouds burst above us as they’re doing as I write. Why don’t we just celebrate life? Create something to see that takes us outside of mundanity? That’s why we work, isn’t it? To fund our lives outside of work.
I didn’t set out to write a letter like this; I was only going to have this page for the video but I became moved to do so after so many rejections and expressions of indifference. We owe this to ourselves, because we all have to live here. It can’t be that difficult.
