Dovecote Studio Residency
My recent residency at Dovecote Studio in Sligo provided me with precious time and an amazing environment to reflect, experiment and re-establish focus in my art practice.
Walking along the stone walls on the approach up to Deerpark Forest and the ruins of Magheraghanrush Court Tomb brought to mind the significance of stone in our past and present societies. Just as the long agricultural perimeters contain and protect the livelihoods of todays local farmers, in a different way the enclosure of the Court Tomb contained and protected the afterlives of past local people of significance. Indeed it’s thought that some of the surrounding farmland walls were built from stones belonging to the tomb.
These ideas of protection, preservation and yet also change stayed with me during my time at Dovecote resulting in new work and ideas .
Availing of the well equipped ceramic studio, I experimented with clay as my medium of choice. The first piece I created were clay panels with direct impressions from the west and east entryways of Magheraghanrush Court Tomb. With careful negotiation and preparation I was able to capture the surface of these ancient stones, recording its essence at a precise moment of time.
The second piece I made was a series of embossed round plates, inspired by ancient Irish rock art symbols and markings I’d previously recorded. At Dovecote it became important to me to rerecord these symbols in a new way, working out the new imagery became a meditative process, repeating the symbols in sequence until the new forms emerged. I then cut relief sections of each in lino and embossed them into the clay plates.
I’m excited and feeling refreshed with the work I was able to make during my time at Dovecote and look forward to bringing these concepts with me into my future artistic practice.