Landscapes

An exhibition of painting exploring the Irish landscape by

Danny Cunningham
Sean Fingleton
Bridget Flannery
Michael Gemmell

Opening Night

Thursday, 23rd March 2001 - 7pm to 9pm

Special Guest:

Frank ODonoghue - Chief Executive, Waterford Chamber of Commerce

From l. to r. - Sean Fingleton, Danny Cunningham, Liz McCay, Bridget Flannery, Frank O'Donohue

Michael Gemmell

"View of the Shannon"
Michael Gemmell
Oil on Canvas
12 x 12in
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"Sleeping Island "
Michael Gemmell
Oil on Canvas
12 x 12in
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"Dark Turn, Tay River"
Danny Cunningham
101 x 141 cm
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"In the Wicklow Mountains"
Sean Fingleton
Oil on Canvas
33 x 42 in
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"Irelands Eye "
Sean Fingleton
Oil on Canvas
26 x 38 in
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"Swilly Estuary, Donegal"
Sean Fingleton
Oil on Canvas
31 x 42in
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"Raven"
Sean Fingleton
Oil on Canvas
40 x 50in
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"Sea and Rocks, Howth"
Sean Fingleton
Oil on Canvas
19 x 30in
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"Sea and Cliff"
Sean Fingleton
Oil on Canvas
41 x 33"
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"Sensing"
Bridget Flannery
Mixed Media on Board
32 x 32in
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"River Tay Pool Reflections"
Danny Cunningham
40 x 60 in
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"Bottleneck Glenshelane River"
Danny Cunningham
Oil on Canvas
40 x 60in
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"Evening North"
Bridget Flannery
Mixed Media on Wood
6 x 6in
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Artists CV

Sean Fingleton

1950 : Born, Malin, Co. Donegal.
1972 : B.A. Degree in English and Philosophy, U.C.D.
1973 : Higher Diploma in Education.
1973 : National Diploma in Art.
1979 : Regional Technical College, Letterkenny.
1979-80 : Post Graduate Study N.C.A.D.

Group Exhibitions

1977 : Interaction Student Exhibition.
1982,88,89,90,91,92 : Oireachtas Exhibition.
1982 : Exposure III Exhibition.
1986 : Temple Bar Gallery Studio Artists.
1987 : Self Portrait Exhibition - Project Arts Centre(by invition Michael O'Dea)
1987,88,89,91 : Clairemorris Open Exhibition.
1978,79,80,82,83, 84,85,86,87 : Independent Artists Exhibition.
1986,87,88 : Taylor Galleries Artists Summer Group Show.
1988 : Process as Image.
1988 : Arnotts National Portrait Awards Exhibition.
1988 : Celtic Vision.
1989 : Temple Bar Showcase Exhibition at the R.H.K.
1991 : Great Book of Ireland, Irish Museum of Modern Art.
1992 : "Transmission", Art for Somalia.
1992 : Represented Ireland at Expo.
1993 : RHA Exhibition.
1993 : Bloomsday Rubicon Gallery.
1994 : RHA Exhibition.
1994 : Academy without Walls Exhibition, RHA Gallery.
1994 : Síolrú-National Maternity Centenary Exhibition RHA Gallery.
1994 : FSIA - Ten year Ten Artists Exhibition, Bank of Ireland Exhibition Centre, Baggot Street.
1994 : Taylor Galleries Christmas Exhibition.
1995 : A Terrible Beauty,Collyer Bristow Gallery, London. (Nine Irish Artists)
1995 : RHA Exhibition
1995 : IONTAS Exhibition
1995 : Oireachtas Exhibition
1995 : Claremorris Open Exhibition
1996 : Oireachtas Exhibition.
1996 : Claremorris open Exhibition.
1996 : Winter Exhibition, Temple Bar Gallery, Dublin.
1996 : Christmas Exhibition, Taylor Gallery, Dublin
1996 : RHA Exhibition.
1996 : IONTAS Exhibition.
1996 : Oireachías Exhibition
1996 : Ainscough Contemporary Art Christmas Exhibition
1997 : RHA Exhibition.
1997 : Oireachtas Exhibition.
1997 : Christmas Exhibition, Dye House Lane.
1997 : Animal show, Ainscough Contemporary Art, Chesea, London.
1997 : Claremorris Open Exhibition.
1998 : Stour Gallery, Warwickshire. Two Painters and Two Potters.
1998 : Charemorris Open Exhibition.
1998 : Stour Gallery Warwickshire Christmas Exhibition
1999 : RHA Exhibition
1999 : Stour Gallery, Warwickshire. Twelve Landscape and Seascape Painters.
1999 : Works from Gordon Lambert Collection - Irish Museum of Modern Art
1999 - 2000 : Lifescapes - Recent Aquisitions - Irish Museum of Modern Art
1999 : Aer Rianta Gateway to Art Exhibition
1999 : Boyle Arts Festival
1999 : Four Painters - Back Stage Gallery, Longford
1999 : Recent Insights - Cavanacor Gallery, Donegal
2000 : Aer Rianta Gateway to Art Exhibition
2000 : RHA Exhibition
2000 : Taylor Galleries Summer Exhibition
2000 : Stitches and Ditches - Works from the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Enniskillen and Carrick-on-Shannon
2000 : Christmas Exhibition - Taylor Galleries
2000 : Christmas Exhibition - Cavanacor Gallery, Donegal
2000 : Christmas Exhibition - Dye House Lane, Waterford
2001 : Landscapes - Dye House Lane, Waterford
2001 : RHA Exhibition

Two Person Show with Ronan Walsh

1986 : Cork Art Society.
1986 : Temple Bar Gallery, Dublin.
1987 : Castlebar and Sligo, Arts Council touring show.
1987 : Taylor Galleries, Dublin.
1987 : Riverrun Gallery, Limerick.
1988 : Wexford Arts Centre.

1988 : Taylor Galleries, Dublin(with John Behan and
G. Knuttel).
1992 : Goldstein Gallery, Kingston, Ontario (with Ronan Walsh and Laurie Swim)

1990 : Dundalk Town Hall.
1990 : Musashino Gallery, Tokyo.
1990 : Orchard Gallery, Derry.
1990 : Earragail Arts Festival, Letterkenny.
1991 : Taylor Galleries, Dublin.
1997 : Taylor Galleries, Dublin.

1986 : Independent Artists Large Painting Bursary.
1986 : GPA Award.
1991 : Prizewinner Claremorris Open Exhibition.
1993 : Fergus O'Ryan RHA Memorial Award.
1998 : Prizewinner Claremorris Open Exhibition.
1999 : RHA Exhibition.
1999 : Stour Gallery Warwichshire - 12 Landscape and Seascape Painters

COLLECTIONS

Public Collections

Irish Museum of Modern Art.
The Irish Arts Council.
Department Of An Taoiseach.
The European Parliament, Strasbourg.
Garda Síochanna Training College.
North Western Health Board Offices,
Kildare Public Libraries.

Other Collections

Allied Irish Banks.
Bank of Ireland.
GPA Group.
Stokes Kennedy Crowley.
Royal insurance.
St. Vincent's Hospital.
St. Edmondsbury Hospital.
St. James' Hospital.
Kelly's Strand Hotel.
Jury's Hotel.
Letterkenny General Hospital.
University College Dublin.
Limerick University.
Woodchester Bank.
Arthur Anderson Ltd.
Independent Broadcasting Company.
The European Parliament, Strsbourg.
Royal Hospital, Gloucester

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Personal

Born 1972

Education Crawford College of Art, B.A. - (1st Class Honours) 1994
Limerick School of Art, Dip A.D.T. (1st Class Honours) 1995

Awards Crawford Diploma and Degree Shows received "Painter's Prize" in 1993 And 1994
L.S.A.D. Irish Times Award of Year. 1995

Exhibitions
2000 - Nov 15 - Dec 30 - Upcoming one person exhibition in Old Market House Arts Centre, Dungarvan

2000 Sep 10 - 17 - Group Exhibition "The Rivers of Ireland" Lismore Arts Centre, Co.Waterford

2000 - May - Group Exhibition at Ballyduff Drama Festival

2000 - 1998 - Waterford County Council Collection at New Civic Building Dungarvan, Co. Waterford

1998 - Cork Art Trail in Blackcombe Gallery

1995 - Living Landscape. Recent Graduate's Exhibition " a snap shot of emerging landscape painters". West Cork Arts Centre, Skibbereen, Co.Cork

1993 - "Seoda an Mumhan" - Group Show, Conradh an Gaeilge, Cork.

1999 - 2000 Artist in Residence Tallow 'National School', John Hogan outreach education workshop in association with W.C.C.

2000 - 2001 Sarah Purser - Painting Programme in association with Garranbane National School.

Danny graduated from Crawford College of Art and Design, in Cork, with a first class honours degree in Fine Art Painting. During his final year in college he returned home, to Dungarvan, to draw inspiration from the places familiar to him, namely the shallow river beds around Co. Waterford that he used to explore in his scouting days. These paintings, on paper, were huge, some measuring up to twenty feet long by nine feet high. These spontaneous and vibrant paintings won him Crawford's "Adventurous Painters Prize".

Over the next few years Danny experimented with unique and exciting compositions inspired by the lush and meandering Tay river valley, near Stradbally. He initially painted in the same 'on the spot' style that won him much acclaim in Cork. Gradually, however, he found that this method was somewhat limiting and more could be achieved by working these same compositions onto solid canvases. His approach became more methodical as he began to work not only on the forest but in his studio, building up layers of colour and texture over months and even years. This new method allowed the work to go one step further, creating a new solidity and a greater awareness of light and shade, colour and markmaking. It also allowed Danny to experiment with the many textures of oil paints, applying them with different implements from a plaster trowel to a domestic decorators brush; creating various thicknesses from 'elephant skin' to watery translucent varnishes.

In River Painting Danny uses colour in a very considered way. Exaggerating the actual rich natural colours of objects in the damp river valley, enjoying the 'peaty' colours of water in flood, or the seasonal variations in foliage.

Over the last few years Danny has moved out from Glenshelane and Tay valleys searching for new motifs on the Finisk, Dalligan and Colligan Rivers. Danny has exhibited in several local and national exhibitions. He also has been 'Artist in Residence' on a number of educational projects for the Co. Waterford Arts Office.

'RIVER PAINTING' by DANNY CUNNINGHAM
OLD MARKET HOUSE ARTS CENTRE, DUNGARVAN
Nov. 15 - Dec.22

This exhibition by Dungarvan artist Danny Cunningham offers a fresh approach to such a familiar and often mistreated subject matter. These large-scale oil paintings are studies - obsessions almost; that depict swollen riverbeds and their surroundings through the fusion of mark-making and colour. The mark-making is energetic, aggressive and overtly masculine, and the viewer is required to solidify the given information in order to construct the image. Thick slabs of paint are contrasted with viscous washes. The use of colour is surprisingly vast and at times violent clashes occur. The artists' technique is jarringly effective and works well although colour theorists may disagree.

The compositions vary but most are rooted in the peaty river valleys that surround the artist's locality. The peaty earthiness is a constant feature and proves intriguing as it gives some of the paintings a claustrophobic and melancholic quality.

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