It took a heatwave to encourage people to flock to the sea, and the sense of Summer enjoyment was so evident in two Gallery Exhibitions. – The Joan Clancy Gallery on Helvick Head, and Coastguard Cultural Centre, Tramore.
The Clancy Gallery on a clifftop in An Rinn has a wonderful sense of location where Joan Clancy and family are celebrating 25 years of exhibitions. I loved the recreation of the warmth, smells, and ‘feels’ of Summer by the sea.
I loved Waterford-based creative Catherine Foley’s use of paintings to enhance her poetry book, Amhran Sraidbhaile (Village Song). Her ‘La Caille’ celebrates a New Year’s Day swim in Helvick Cove, and it teems with life and happiness. ‘Selkie’ by Gillian Wright celebrates a seal with a sense of legend, swimming among the mackerel, and Blawnin Clancy’s evocative pier setting in ‘Fishing for Mackerel on the Rising Tide’ was beautiful and deeply satisfying.
In the Coastguard Cultural Tramore, overlooking the sweep of the bay, Nicola Coady created paper collages in the Cafe area.
Her creations tell stories and recreate the sun, the waves, the gulls and other seabirds as well as surfers and swimmers, enjoying the seaside buzz.
She uses found materials to upcycle, and her Canadian influences as a biologist are evident. She lives in Portlaw but spends lots of time by the sea.
So, roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of Summer and visit Art by the Sea and collect shells to hear the murmur of the sea.
Liam Murphy
