Mary Street Gallery is rapidly establishing itself as a gallery of interest and the current show of figurative work by Dublin-born artist, Elizabeth Comerford, who works in chalk and oil pastels, is well worth a visit.
Their last exhibition by Clare Scott, Road Trip, received a nomination for the 1st Quarter awards in the revamped WLRfm/Bausch & Lomb Arts and Entertainment series.
Comerford’s work is visually striking as she introduces you to a European world of circus, ballet and entertainers at a fairground. There are people doing hand stands, fire-eaters, microphones, studio lights, dolls, ladies in unflattering underwear. There are French and Spanish influences with a touch of Degas or Van Gogh’s Arles studies.
There is a lot of action and detail in patterned wallpaper and this is an expressive world, very busy and active rather than posed still-life. A mother changing a babies nappy catches your attention in SARJIT’S BABY. The curious use of blue like copper blue stone on the body parts reminds of the verde gris in Maestenbrooks work at Kilmeaden.
I loved the wooden horses in a fairground, merry-go-round, All The White Horses but was puzzled by The Beautiful Boy.
