Suddenly it's winter. A time I savour. The inclination is to hibernate, pause, mull over stuff. It's a time for saying no. A time to rest. A time to enjoy early frosty mornings. Although in truth we get very few of them here in the South East of Ireland. The changing seasons are a constant reminder of the cycles of life. While . . .
Challenging invisibility by making an exhibition of yourself
It's all still sinking in. The hard work, the experience of exhibiting, the aftermath. Because I work in an alone space it shocked me on the night of the opening that people would actually arrive. When they came I was somehow still in the middle of the making. I had fallen out of bed that morning, showered, put on a blue dress and gone . . .
Dear Patti Smith
My friends! This is a repost from one year ago. It's always relevant! I am still a bit overwhelmed from the exhibition and the work coming out of it. Normal service will resume soon! "I’ve done records where it seemed like no one listened to them. You write a poetry book that maybe, you know, 50 . . .
How an exhibition creates connections
It's been a while, my friends. To be honest I have been quite overwhelmed by the preparation, building and opening of the exhibition. When people ask me if I'm delighted by how successful it has been? Honest to my dying breath, I have to partially disappoint by whinging about how damn hard it all was!! I can laugh at myself to some . . .
Sneak peek behind the scenes of my exhibition
To say I'm freaking out would be a slight exaggeration. Let's just say the reality is sinking in..... Back in the Spring the idea of an exhibition seemed like a good idea at the time. My self and Kate Quinn would work on it together and we thought we could throw the whole thing together in a couple of months. . . .
The Copper Coast of County Waterford
Annestown, Knockane, Benvoy, Boatstrand, Kilmurrin, Bonmahon, Tra na mBó, Ballydowane, this was my journey today. I've been thinking about starting a section on this blog to highlight some of the places I know and love. What do you think? I get asked a lot about the best places to visit and besides the obvious and the . . .
Primitive man in all his glory
Last weekend as usual there were young lads playing in the forest beside the lake. I can see this spot from the house. So like all my neighbours, I tend to keep an close eye on these boys. I wonder who they are? The years pass and still they come. Anonymous teenagers with all kinds of excitement on their minds. Bitter experience reminds me where . . .
Putting a fire under creativity
"Firstly to cook for the Baba Yaga, (the forest witch) one lays a fire- a woman must be willing to burn hot, burn with passion, burn with words, with ideas, with desire for whatever it is she truly loves. It is actually this passion that causes the cooking, and a woman's original ideas of substance are what is cooked. To cook for the . . .
Blossoming in the bad years
"Buy flowers – or if you are poor, steal one from someone’s garden; the world owes you that much at least: blossom – and put them at the end of the bed. When you wake, look at it, and tell yourself you are the kind of person who wakes up and sees flowers. This stops your first . . .
Even in summer there is darkness at times
The summer light has it's moments. This year summer in Ireland has been a beauty. Sometimes later in the evening there are long shadows of delightful darkness. Darkness and light. As my year's leave moves into the final quarter I need to decide whether to return to my busy day job or settle into a less secure full time role . . .
