In the downstairs area of The Old Market House Arts Centre in Dungarvan there are two exhibitions. A Wicklow/Waterford based artist, Niki Purcell, has a series of small pieces in oil on paper and canvas. The colour choices are strong and sometimes vivid, but there is an overall primitive sense to the work, more impressionist than Expressionist, with flat perspectives, shapes rather than figures and at times the work seems childlike.
Anne McLeod has a series of watercolours of farmyard animals that are attractive rather than real. But there are some beautiful paintings of daffodils that give a real buzz on the dull day I visited. Three landscapes caught various seasonal moods; Hazel Grove In May was bright and airy. Autumn Shadows was a warm delight with excellent shadowy detail and Winter Trees showed a starkness of a season coming in to chill us.
Upstairs, the world of pigs , as painted by Luke Lawnicki, was a wonderful treat. He manages to make these porkers look intelligent and knowing. Mum’s The Word, featuring a son and bonnamh, is glorious and the posh purple in Pig With Pearls at €550 is a snip and a real treat for the spirit. Horse Humour alone is worth the trip to this gallery to relish the talent of this fine artist.
