INSPIRATION from islands in West Cork and beyond is featuring in a group exhibition opening at the Blue House Gallery in Schull.
The group show features Angie Shanahan, Sarah Long, Christine Thery, Sandie Hicks, and Jo Howard.
Into the Island will explore themes of time, place and poetic reflection, and the interplay between literature and visual expression.
Artist Angie Shanahan has mostly concentrated on three islands influenced by the book, The Islands, Six Fictions by Irish novelist, poet and short story writer William Wall.
Inspired by the way the writer’s stories evoked the landscape, Shanahan visited the islands featured in the book.
The first island is Castle Island in Roaringwater Bay with its castle, ruined watchtower and cluster of ruined cottages.
The island inspiration goes beyond West Cork to the Isle of Wight and Procida, a volcanic island in the Bay of Naples.
The paintings in the exhibition reflect the artist’s journey and the stories embedded in the land.
Angie studied painting in the Crawford College of Art and Design in Cork and has won several awards for her work, including the Taylor Bequest Award for painting, the Vision Award selected by James White, director of the National Gallery, and the Ciall11 Award for a sense of place.
She has had seven solo shows and has exhibited extensively in Ireland.
In 2024 Angie is exhibiting in the Irish Embassy in Beijing, the Working Artist Studios in Ballydehob at Cnoc Bui in Union Hall, the National Gallery of Ireland, and the Blue House Gallery in Schull.
The exhibition runs until June 19th.
