Art on the Farm 2019: Session 2
We’re about two weeks into the second session of our summer program Art on the Farm and on this blustery morning, everyone is busily working in the studio for our second life drawing session. Our students just began their personal projects and this morning is an opportunity to briefly divert everyone’s attention, hone their observational skills and potentially generate some nice portfolio pieces. This session of Art on the Farm has been packed full of activity right from the start. We have a large group interested in painting this session and students travelling from a number of different countries. The group gelled quickly and it’s just wonderful to see all the laughter at mealtimes.
Our trip to Dublin began with a visit to the Irish Museum of Modern Art where we spent some time looking at the two exhibitions, A Vague Anxiety and A
Fiction Close to Reality. Both sparked some lively conversation and dealt with topics that hit close to home. Following this, we enjoyed a great lunch then popped into Temple Bar Gallery and Studios to view humorous and timely video works by Finnish artist Pilvi Takala. On our second day, we took some time to visit the National Museum‘s remarkable gold collection. Rosie’s tour was so captivating we actually picked up a few more students along the way! Our final visit was to the Royal Hibernian Academy where we enjoyed their annual exhibition. The galleries were full of exciting work. From masterfully painted portraits to abstraction, a variety of sculptural works and photography, this exhibition had something for everyone’s taste. Of course, our students had ample opportunity to explore the city, shop and take in the sights.
Work at the studio has been remarkably productive. With the help of Sarah Gamble, Ann Maria Healy and Peter Allen Hoffmann, our fantastic visiting artists, our students have been exposed to a variety of techniques and approaches. During our first group critique, it was wonderful to see what everyone had been up to and now that personal projects have begun, we’re excited to see where everyone’s interests take them. In addition to this work in the studio, we’ve enjoyed a few excursions to nearby Enniscorthy, Killkenny and Carlow. In Wexford, we took in the scene at the Rockin’ Food Festival where Cow House Cheff Caitriona Foley and Co-Director Frank Abruzzese gave a cooking demonstration for Donburi Rice Bowls. In Kilkenny, we enjoyed an informative tour at the impressive Kilkenny Castle and in Carlow, visited ARTWORKS 2019: Dearly Beloved, an exhibition at Visual as part of The Carlow Arts Festival. In all, it’s been quite the session thus far!
We just posted some photos in our gallery section. More to come in a couple of weeks!
