I am exhbiting with artist Frances Crowe at Ara Inis Gluaire, Belmullet, Co.Mayo! Frances makes intricate tapestries telling stories of displacement and crisis. I have produced portraits using my own homemade art materials made from natural and discarded materials.
On Saturday 7th September from 11am to 12pm, I am giving a demonstration on making simple inks from readily available materials.
I am part of artist Niamh Cunningham’s socio-ecological art piece The Memory Palace of Tree Stories. Please see https://memorypalaceoftreestories.com to see my one minute video about the strong survivor that is the Ash tree, an old tree in a field behind our house. I am one of many people, artists and others, who sent videos of precious trees to Niamh from 2020 to 2023.
On 8th June last my exhibition By nature/Ó nádúr, was opened by friend and renowned Irish artist Catherine Barron at MTU, Cork School of Music.
Me in front of my drawing, Ghost birds. Soap and wax blind drawing, homemade avocado ink on paper.
Installation view of some of exhibition space
Tyger,tyger burning bright….
Copper, chamomile ink, wax blind drawing on paper.
Installation view of Hot birds, Bird loud garden, and Moon cat. Natural inks, soap and wax blind drawings on paper.
On 26th May 2023 we celebrated the launch of my portrait of Aruba Coghlan, Cork dance teacher and friend, at MTU, Cork School of Music.
Charcoal and charcoal wash on paper
2022 Backwater Artists Network exhibition
I went to the Olivier Cornet Gallery in Dublin, http://www.oliviercornetgallery.com, to see Eoin Mac Lochlainn’s new exhibition. It is well worth the trip to the city. Moving, skilled and beautifully presented with a video featuring intermittent singing in the background. Many congratulations Eoin! Comghairdeachas!
I have been a member of Backwater Artists Network for the past eighteen months which I find very supportive personally as an artist, and informative on a whole range of art related topics. backwaterartists.ie/join-us/backwater–artist–network . Brian MacDomhnaill is the organizer of BAN and is very committed to us members and to ensuring that all members are kept in the various info and creative loops.
We ‘meet’ on Zoom every two weeks to catch up on each others work, art news locally (generally Cork city and county), nationally and further afield too. We had our first exhibition in Cork and online in November 2020. Please see https://visualartists.ie/events/a-moment-before-lockdown-backwater-artists-network…
I have recently joined a new and vibrant collective called Nuacollective which has artists from various parts of the world with the majority being from Ireland. Started last year by artist and super organizer ,Eamonn Shanahan, we have already had our first online exhibition called Equinox with the work of many of us on show www.nuacollective.ie. We also have a podcast talking about the exhibition so do check that out. There are more podcasts to come on various topics of interest to the diverse range of artists involved.
This mixed media drawing and print is in the current Equinox exhibition online at http://www.nuacollective.ie . It is for sale unframed, including postage , for €150. I used some of my own homemade charcoal, graphite powder and printing ink on found paper to try and give a sense of the ‘animal’ activity that occurs at the time of half light, that is at dawn and at dusk.
21/12/2020
Hello!
My exhibition goes on apace at the Blackwater Valley Makers. Here is another drawing from the exhibition called Starling. It is of a mummified bird we found in an abandoned cottage near our home. I brought the starling home and decided to put it in my exhibition as it is beautiful. So if you would like to see it in the flesh (well not really as it is mummified!!) my exhibition is ongoing for December at the Blackwater Valley Makers, Pearse Sq., Fermoy and is open daily 10am-6pm. There is an audio component at my exhibition too with birdsong, river sound etc.
Thank goodness I managed to finish my portrait commission on time. I will post the image next week once it has been received by the recipient.
I hope you have a joyful Christmas and a peaceful New Year. And thank you for visiting my site!
14/12/2020
Hi, I am currently working on a portrait commission for a friend and hope to be finished this week.
Inge van Doorslaer ( friend and fellow artist) and I have just completed the third video in the Crawford Art Gallery’s online Lonradh at Home series, see crawfordartgallery.ie/lonradh-at-home.If you have not yet had a look at the Crawford’s online resources, do give it a go, as there are lots of art activities for all ages available. Besides Lonradh at Home, there are also eleven short videos called Creative Cocooning which were made over the spring and summer, which can also be checked out at crawfordartgallery.ie/creative cocooning.
I was a bit self conscious last week as I was asked if I would like to do a staff profile for the Crawford Art Gallery website, but of course I responded in the affirmative and my sweet(!) mug is there for all and sundry to see……. I mention the infamous artist from Cork, James Barry and his even more famous/infamous niece Margaret Anne Bulkley aka Dr.James Barry in the question and answer section – very intriguing story altogether…………
oil pastel, charcoal and graphite on canvas pad.
Another of the drawings from my current exhibition at Blackwater Valley Makers, Fermoy, Co.Cork.
Until next time, have a good week.
7/12/2020
Hello everyone
Almost a week has passed since my exhibition We are one opened at BVM (Blackwater Valley Makers) in Fermoy, Co.Cork and I am delighted that one of my drawings sold – Garden. Unfortunately due to the pandemic I cannot have a comments book and I do value peoples reactions to my work, especially as this exhibition is quite different to my previous one, Memory is grey, portraits concerning memory loss last year in Cork. This current exhibition is very influenced by the ecoliteracy course I did online with inspiring eco-artist and scientist Cathy Fitzgerald during the spring. Please see Cathy’s website haumea.ie. The added element of a soundscape in the exhibition is I think an interesting departure and I’d love to hear people’s opinion of this. So if you happen to be in or near Fermoy do call into BVM and have a look and let me know on social media what you think. There are plans afoot to have a very short video made re the exhibition and if this happens I will let you all know. Please see below for another drawing from the exhibition. ‘Til next week…..
Araglen River tributary 2, homemade charcoal, charcoal, graphite and photograph on greaseproof paper. €200.
Gillian Cussen 