Mary Crotty, a self-taught artist living in the rural landscape of bracknagh, Co. Offaly. Her work is a vibrant celebration of the local flora and fauna that inspires her every day. Her primary medium is acrylics, which she uses to capture the intricate details of the natural world, but Mary also loves to explore her creativity through working with clay and many different craft styles. Through her art, she hopes to inspire others to pause, observe, and appreciate the beauty of nature all around them. 

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Brian O’Loughlin 

Sculptor, artist, shaper of ancient material for modern environments. Brian O Loughlin grew up on the edge of the bog that delivered up its secrets for him to re-imagine and reinterpret for our times.

Brian has been a full time sculptor for over 20 years. His work is characterised by a warmth and softness in a medium that is hard and dark, often embellished with paint or gold leaf. Each piece is individually, carefully and sympathetically handcrafted to accentuate the natural flow and form of the wood hidden from our eyes for thousands of years. Each piece of art is carved, pared and whittled to release its hidden beauty from below the dark, damp, husky exterior. Because of its nature; hard and strong but structurally weak, it can be very difficult to work. Bearing this in mind as you carve this beautiful wood, compromise is necessary, however among the limitations is great freedom.  In the words of Hans Hoffman “eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary can speak”.

Each piece then goes through a series of fine sanding and is finished with a coat of wax polish, ready for you to enjoy, the character, the history and the beauty. 

Bog oak is a precious and ancient material, formed thousands of years ago when the great oak forests of Celtic Ireland were subsumed into peat bogs. https://blackoakurns.com/

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Eilis Kavanagh is a landscape artist based outside Newbridge, County Kildare. Her work is inspired by the beauty of the local countryside and bog lands, the West of Ireland and her various Camino Trips. Her collection is a personal response to the scenes she encounters in everyday life which she captures in her work. Eilis is motivated by the need to paint for her own and others pleasure and she hopes that her paintings will speak to those who view them.

Eilis has exhibited extensively both locally – Newbridge Town Hall; The Riverbank Arts Centre; White-water Shopping Centre; Ubh Café;Charlotte Mall – Newbridge .McAuley Place;Gra Art Gallery- Naas, Dunlavin Arts Festival; Kilteel Art Festival AND  Dublin at the Helix; AIB Bankcentre; Incognito , Delgany Golf Club and at the Milk Market in Limerick  - see www.eiliskavanagh.com for more.

Mary McCarthy is largely a self-taught artist. Painting mainly in oils, she also enjoys experimenting in pen and watercolour, pastels and mixed media.  Mary sees the wonder in every aspect of nature and is drawn to capture the moment in her art.  Struck by, either, the light, the colour, the place, the sky, the sea, the ambience, the people, or perhaps all of these together, she draws inspiration for her paintings.

Mary invites you to linger a moment and enjoy her paintings.

Both Eilis Kavanagh and Mary McCarthy will be exhibiting their work alongside the plein air painting in the workshop tent.

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Melissa Cherry

Melissa is a full time member of the Leinster Print Studio. The medium she works in are Etching, Drypoint, Screen printing and Sugar Lift Etching.