Poems in shop windows

Our current Mayor of Lismore, Ken Madden, came up with this wonderful idea to invite 10 poets to submit a poem to be displayed in shop windows of our little town of Lismore.

All the poets have a Waterford connection, they are either born in this county, or live here. 

The poems appeared 'overnight' to celebrate All Ireland Poetry Day, on the 6th October.

see here for more

Invited poets are:

 James Ballantyne, Edward Denniston, Corina Duyn, John Ennis, Áine Uí Fhoghlú, Thomas McCarthy, Liam Murphy, George O’Brien, Mark Roper and Peter Sirr.

The photographs don't quite do justice to the quality of the displays.

My apologies.

But I hope it will give you an idea of what's on offer and that it will inspire you 

bring a visit to Lismore!

Please come in and have a look around...

in my studio -

  The Garden Room

now I've started to move in.

Actually 

I have moved in.

A few jobs remaining- like installing a sink

but

I can work in it;

sit in it;

relax in it.

What a lucky woman I am!

The Garden Room, but then you already knew that!

An inviting place to enter

All my materials, tool and books are in.
When my craft books went in- I felt I'd completed
my move!

Finally space to finish my bird- a Sea Gull
Ready to fly!
Love the light, the space.

Have used the space so far to work on my weaving projects- paper weaving- more about that later.

Thanks for the visit!

To see how the studio came about, please click Here

Invitation to IWA Exhibition in Dublin

Last year I entered the IWA (Irish Wheelchair Association) 50th Anniversary Art and Craft Competition with my sculpture Naked Truth. To my great delight it won first prize in the 'craft' category (3D works).
The following was taken from the Summer edition of Spokeout magazine (see page 52) 

"In autumn 2010 IWA invited artists to submit entries for the 50th Anniversary Art and Craft Competition. The aim of the competition was to encourage artists with physical and sensory disabilities to showcase their creative talent. The competition received huge interest and many pieces of an extremely high standard were entered into the four regional heats, which took place in late 2010. Pieces from three categories were selected by representatives from Colleges of Art nationally. All entries selected at regional level went through to a national final which took place in Dublin, and was judged by Declan McGonagle of NCAD."

Winners:

GROUP CATEGORY: Drogheda ROC

CRAFT CATEGORY: Corina Duyn, IWA Member `Naked Truth'

FINE ART CATEGORY: Olive Noonan, IWA Limerick

The exhibition of all the regional and final winning entries

 will take place in Dublin from the 12th till the 14 October.

You are all kindly invited to attend the opening on 
Wednesday 12th October- 12.30pm 
official launch by Professor Declan McGonagle, Director of NCAD
Prize giving will follow and light refreshments will be served.

Connaught House, Burlington Road, Dublin 4

Exhibition open to the public till 4 pm Wednesday and
Thursday 13th and Friday 14th from 10.00am - 4.00pm

(further details: IWA)

I would love to have your company on the 12th! And please, do spread the word.

Many thanks

Corina

Moving in!

For those of you who have followed the progress of my studio (The Garden Room) well...

as the walls are now painted, and I spend a few days varnishing the paneling, and painting of the window frame, I felt it was time to move in. I simply couldn't wait any longer! 

Some jobs remain to be done to finish the studio for real, but... I'm in!

The table, which I had planned to go by the window, simply looked 'out of place' there. 

Excitedly, I rang Jane to share the idea that had formulated in my brain... a window seat... made from an existing shelf unit. She brought it in; it looked promising, but needed a wider seat.... The following day we used floorboards-offcuts to do just that, and glued a layer of foam on top of it.

On Sunday, I made a few covers. The colourful one is tacked onto the seat and is allowed to get dirty with clay- paint- or whatever else will be used in the studio. 

The seat will double as a seat to work from and...

... a seat to relax on. The views of my garden are inspiring and restful.

After I finished making the covers, I rested on my new window seat, listened to music and felt HAPPY.

Robert is not quite sure about this new space.

He's not that great with change...

Inspiring Doll Artists

Who rules the moon and the stars © Marlaine Verhelst             

To continue, what looks like to be a series-in-the-making, I would like to share with you the work by two Doll Artists- Marlaine Verhelst and Hennie Koffrie, both Dutch, who greatly inspire me to continue to create and to be as imaginative as one can be with design and the use of materials.

I have worked with Marlaine on a three occasions, twice during a workshop in France and once in her home studio. I very much admire her work. Marlaine teaches all over the world. If you like to read  more, please visit  Marlaine Verhelst's blog. or here for a bio

To me, her fantasy figures are beyond imagination.

"Fly like a Bird" © Marlaine Verhelst  

Hennie Koffrie is a friend and colleague of Marlaine. They travel together to various Doll Events all over the world. I haven't yet had the pleasure to meet Hennie, but someone/something did in my place (see below).

Hennie's work is wonderful. Looking at her images gives me the freedom to create whatever is in my head- to use whatever materials will come my way; to tell a story. I can't wait to get started.
(Studio nearly ready!)

"Last Mile" © Hennie Koffrie

MEme:

Years ago, when 'travelling' to my bathroom or kitchen was an event in itself, I sent a tiny stuffed penguin out into the world beyond- she became my alter ego. MEme (M.E.- me) travelled by post to many many countries and visited friends and family, but she was also introduced to people I've never met, and places I've never been.

MEme's carers wrote in her diary and took photos of the adventures. When the diaries came back to me, I really DID feel I had been away on a break. They have given me hours and years of comfort, laughter and gratitude.

During the time MEme spend with Marlaine ('02) she was brought along to a Doll Event in Washington. MEme shared a room with Marlaine and Hennie. I have this wonderful photo of MEme getting a kiss from Hennie! When I looked for a web-link to Hennie's work I couldn't stop laughing when I saw MEme in the hands of Hennie! 

Hennie with MEme- my alter ergo

I keep meaning to scan the pages of MEme's diaries and put them up on my website- so you can all enjoy the adventures and funny images.... but it is such a big job. Anybody offering their services to do this....? 

I can ask, can't I :-)

For some of my own Artist Dolls of the past see here

Portraits to get me going

 Richard at age five, Alice Neel

Reading about the Dublin Contemporary 2011 Exhibition in Dublin I came across this image by Alice Neel: "Richard at age five". It is on show at the Douglas Hide Gallery  and I truly hope I get to see it "in the flesh" so to speak.

I love its simplicity, the image draws me in.

As paintings go, and sculpture actually, I am drawn to portraits, yet I've never (?) tried to paint one. 

Who knows, the new studio-to-be and the images below might just change all that?

Modigliani

Other artist that I love are, among many others...

Modigliani; 

Charlie Toorop; and 

Kees van Dongen 

The lather two are Dutch... there is hope for me yet? :-)

Woman in Black Hat, Kees van Dongen

Self Portrait, Charlie Toorop