helenfarrellart

Wall Mural for my daughter, Anna , when she was two. Anna was only two years old, and was SO excited that I was painting this in her bedroom. We had looked through ALL her storybooks, to see which was her favourite story, and the winner was- A Birthday Surprise for Wilfred, a Brambly Hedge story by Jill Barklem. I've just been pooching through all the old kiddies books we kept ( and I kept nearly all of them ) and was happy out when I found this book about Wilfred , as the inspiration for this painting came from it. It starts like this  " For many generations, families of mice have made their homes in the roots of the trees of Brambly Hedge. If you are ever lucky enough to be nearby, you may see a wisp of smoke from a small chimney or even a steep flight of stairs deepwithin the trunk of a tree." I used to love reading all the bed time stories, and watching Disney movies time and time again with our children. Anyway..now its 14 years later, and ...

 Free Community Event Here is an excerpt from a publication in The Irish Times re our  Zines Fair in August 2011, from an interview done with Sarah Bracken , our artistic director. ...."Zines are self-produced publications. Most often, they were made by hand and duplicated using a photocopier. Print runs were short and the aesthetic was a DIY one: cut-and-paste typography, own photos, and a general disregard for publishing etiquette. Zines have been ubiquitous here since the 1970s, peaking in the late 1980s/early 1990s, but there is still a dedicated scene today. This weekend the first annual Dublin Zine Fair, organised by Sarah Bracken, takes placeat the Ranelagh Arts Centre. “I have been going to the London Zine Symposium for the past few years and felt that we really needed one here,” says Bracken. “Having a fair in London has made the scene grow and has inspired so many people to make, or seek out, independently produced publications, so we hope that happens...

I found this very interesting website today..on a new annual paperart exhibition in Sofia , Bulgaria. www.amateras.eu

..almost every two weeks, the walls in the centre get a fresh makeover ..with fresh art. Mostly these shows have been of emerging artists, and I  have so enjoyed being involved , even if only in a small way, in these. The following ones come to mind.  Here is one of my best phone photos of Francoise O Sullivans very first solo show, - " Les Arbres",  being opened by well known Irish artist Robert Ballagh. He spoke well of her very vibrant, lively, acrylic paintings of trees , and her unique visual language.I felt  her work was very uplifting and inspiring, especially as she had only started to paint earlier this year, while recovering from an illness. She simply started painting fro a photo she took of trees outside her hospital window , and this vision grew into a very impressive show of up to 40 paintings. and another exhibition..of local artists. This was a very varied and eclectic show, with a high standard of work , feat...

So much exciting arty stuff happening ...a shame to not record some of it... a blog seemed to be one way to attempt  to record it. Arty stuff in Ranelagh, other arty stuff, and lots of events related stuff in Ranelagh Arts Centre. As regards the centre- This is our logo The centre which really only came into being, earlier this year, is going from strength to strength, and it is almost impossible to keep up with all the events and people , which have been passing through the increasingly  forward moving place . Its also looking super cool these days , thanks to the great efforts of two Sara(h)s, Sarah Bracken, artistic director and Sara Murphy, artistic administrator. The centre has a bang up to date facebook and twitter page       ranalaghartsfestival     which makes for a really interesting peruse with a cuppa. Mostly all events are of local and creative interest !! Now , we would lo...

I spent a few days doing a series of drawings in Sandycove some time ago. A beautiful line is a precious thing to me. A line is a pure form of expression. At one stage , I had to stop drawing , as I felt seasick. These are a few of the drawings . I did some oil paintings from these, but the spontaneity of the drawings were the best fun.

This is a painting I've just finished for a friend of mine.  I worked from a photo he gave me of a very particular memory he had of his childhood. I used acrylic on canvas, and as always it was difficult to know when I was finished. I hope he likes it. Commissions are always a bit nervewrecking ! Acrylic on canvas, 50cms x 40cms, unframed

For a time, I worked and exhibited artwork with Siofra - a group of artists, who regularly exhibited as a collective. "Síofra Artists Group consists of nine artists who formed in 1995 with informal meetings to provide mutual support and to create a forum for discussion on art practice. In 1998 they decided to work together to mount collective exhibitions. The members of Síofra are interested in exploring the tension between the individual’s freedom of expression and the constraints of working for a group show and to agreed themes. They seek to exhibit in a variety of venues, especially those that are as accessible as possible to the public. Their first exhibition was, 'Home Truths' in 1998, held in two derelict maisonettes in Blackrock, Co. Dublin, with the support of Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown Arts Office. Since then they have exhibited in various venues including galleries, two universities, a hairdressing salon and several arts centres." I did these 13...

I was idling away on the Internet lately , when lo and behold,  I read  about artwork on a CD cover by Helen Gavigan from Galway !  A twin...this I had to know more about. When I searched for the artist , - what I came up with was a CD cover with artwork done by myself for an American man..Danny O Flaherty,.who had asked me to do an image on The Hill of Tara, for a collection he was thinking of doing.  I came across the original image only lately in a pile of old work, and just about remember e-mailing him a copy of it . I didn't even know it existed, -  I would love to get a copy of it sometime ....so Danny O Flaherty...if you're out there... The History of Ireland in Word and Song.. sung by Danny O Flaherty

For most of the 1990's , I was involved with a group of artists, Siofra ( changeling..in English). We met as mature students in Dun Laoghaire College of Art and Design, as it was known then. We held monthly meetings in each others homes, and over much tea and natter, we kept up to date with arty goings on and organised many art exhibitions. We attempted to bring as much of our art as we could into the everyday community , by arranging shows in as diverse and local venues as we could manage at the time . Some venues included hairdressers, derelict housing ( pre Celtic Tiger), community centres, third level colleges  and  libraries.  It was good craic.   Here is a work in progress of Cairn T, which I had in a show we had in the National College of Ireland in the Irish Financial Services Centre, Dublin.  We titled this show "Bigger is Better", as our brief was to each work to a 6ft x 6 ft dimension.  This was the above piece...

These are some images from an exhibition I had in the " Bru na Boinne" centre, in Newgrange, Co Meath   in 2003 .   I themed my work , on "Loughcrew",  which has is aligned to sunrise at the Spring and Autumn equinoxes, ( and also where I spent a memorable part of my childhood.).  Apart from it's huge historical importance, some of it's attraction is that it is so unspoilt, almost as if we were stepping back 2,500 - 3,000  years in time. Little humans that we are !!  I have included a lot more information about Loughcrew cairns, at the end of the scroll of artworks. Special thanks to Michael Fox for these images, which he kindly sent on to me after this exhibition..I had not thought to take a single copy of them, as I was so taken up with organising the show. This is a link to his webpage. http://www.knowt...