"A Brush with Summer" Exhibition of uplifting work by Lorraine Fenlon & also Debut sho
Artist Lorraine Fenlon (originally from Dublin's Northside and now enjoying the country life in Carlow), has been painting with oils from a young age. A life-long dream, she went solo in 2014 with a themed exhibition for Carlow Arts Festival. There was a great reaction to her work and there has followed a very busy time with gallery representations, public art opportunities and projects. She has taken part in RDS Art Source 2014 & 2015, the new INM Groups 'Home Event' and had a Debut Solo in Dublin’s Leinster Gallery around the corner from Trinity College. Now she is in the final planning stages of what will be her 8th solo exhibition packed into 2 years!
"After waiting this long, I am not wasting any more time. You just got to do it. Accept offers and see where they lead you". She is squeezing a lot more into this exhibition showcasing the children's art and a raffle for the local youth club.
Lorraine is very passionate about her art and spreading the joy of it is part of this passion. She has been teaching art to adults and children since 2011. She set up a Facebook page to show the students work under the title “Red Apple Arts”. There is now a great following in support of Red Apple Arts with family, friends and fans enjoying the work from the students.
Regarding her own work, she says "A lot of my work depicts man’s influence on our landscape and the frailty of man as nature takes over but a 'message' may not always be apparent in my work. People suffer throughout their lives with illness, mental health, hardship, bullying and trauma to name but a few. Therefore I like my art to feel uplifting. I use light, colour, texture and strong compositions to bring a vibrancy to my work.
As well as Contemporary Landscapes, I paint a lot of Fruit and Fish. My fruit paintings are quite different to the usual still life. I paint the fruit on the tree or branch zooming in and filling the frame to explore a portrait of the beautiful fruit. 'Still life that is still alive'. I also paint magnified studies of fruit slices and fish. Fish have quite cute and fascinating faces. I think they have expressions! They make colourful fun subjects. Choosing a painting is a lifetime investment. I think it should make an impact, brighten your home and cheer you to look at it.
As I have strong feelings about mental health issues, I feel prevention is always better than cure. Look after our children and they will look after the world. The Children I teach on Fridays are very talented and to be honest, I am the biggest child in the class. We have great fun. This is the first time for them to exhibit their work and will be a very special event for them. Art is a wonderful way to relax and is something you can take with you throughout your life, enjoying the creative process, the social element, exhibitions and culture in the community and it opens your eyes to nature which can help to heal you or keep you grounded.
Children who are encouraged to enjoy art, will bring something special with them throughout their lives building confidence & skills and opening new avenues of interests.
To tie in with the theme, I am delighted to raffle a set of Framed Limited Edition Prints in aid of Carlow Regional Youth Services who do great things for the health, well-being and confidence of our local youth. I hope you will come along to support us all and enjoy this exhibition”.
Exhibition reception to be opened by John Shorthall, our County Librarian and Denis Collins (The Denis Collins Gallery & The Rosslare Gallery, Wexford).
Kindly supported and hosted by Carlow Co. Library and Carlow Co. Council
Refreshments provided by Lorraine
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