art essence
As is Art Essence, Galway. We received a gift voucher to this beautiful place from my brother and sis-in-law for our wedding, and decided to go spend it right after we got back from the Long Awaited Honeymoon ™ Down Under.
Meeting Denise, a woman who seems to perfectly merge the love of art and drive to create with the ability to run a successful business was an inspiration. Her work opn glass and crystal is absolutely beautiful, and very nicely displayed on the website. Less well displayed is her photography - some of which I was heartbroken to have to walk away from. But a nicely sized triptych of handprinted black and white portrait studies at about three hundred euro each, would not only have emptied the bank account, but would have struggled to find a nice wall to call home chez valley-boyz.
Still, maybe next time. And in the meantime, if anyone wants to buy us a gift, the Paddy Warrior glassware is really lovely - we’re the proud owners of a sextet of wine glasses already, and looking to expand (hint! hint!). And if someone wants to be reeeeeeeallly nice, they could buy the triptych of photography. And a big house with a huge white wall to put it on. Ta!
Joan Hogan, Denise’s partner in crime (and mother!), produces beautiful art, which reminded me of Turner and Monet and Rothko meeting after one too many Absinths. Dreamy yet dramatic, filled with impressions of the sea at its most awe-inspiring, almost abstract on first view, and filled with sumptuous use of colours. Again, any one looking to get into my good graces… She and i had a lovely (if neccesarily brief) conversation that touched on so much, but I was particularly struck by her comments fom Kandinsky on the relationship between the audience and the artist. To paraphrase: Artists complete the work, but the process hasn’t ended there. The audience brings their involvemnt to bear, and pushes the process even further. I guess, in the same way that a well-written and wonderfully performed play, done to an empty theatre, is, even though it may all be lovely, far less satisfactory than one peformed to an audience of shuffling, coughing, puzzled but ultimately responsive people.
Too much art? Don’t worry, more holiday videos later.