Diverse themes to new exhibitions
Date Published: {J}
Seasons, an exhibition of new paintings by Paul Guilfoyle will open at The Kenny Gallery, Liosbán Retail Park on the Tuam Road this Saturday, March 27, at 2.00pm.
About twenty years ago, Paul Guilfoyle made a decision to give up his accountancy job to paint full-time, and he has never looked back since. Rather has he looked to the West, in particular to the places in Connemara and West Mayo where he spent his childhood holidays. He is intrigued by the area, with its steep mountain slopes and watery valleys, and its hills and headlands jutting into the Atlantic.
He evokes that wild grandeur in his paintings, although occasionally, human influence can be seen in the shape of a zig-zag boreen or a puff of smoke from a distant small white house. Essentially, however, his work is about capturing moment of changing light in the landscape he loves.
In recent times he has begun to broaden his horizons, exploring West Donegal and parts of Kerry, but whatever the location, his paintings all have an identifiable style. Paul has exhibited widely throughout Ireland, and his work features in many important collections. This is his eighth solo exhibition in The Kenny Gallery.
The exhibition continues daily, 9.00am to 5.00pm, from Monday to Saturday until April22 and all are welcome to visit.
Meanwhile the artist-run gallery, 126 in the city’s Queen Street is presenting new works by US artist Ben Sloat.
Package From China examines the West’s economic and cultural relationship with China since that country became a major force on the global market. Sloat looks back to the origins of China’s contemporary boom, which happened in 1992 when political leader Deng Xiaoping’s toured Southern China, opening the region to expanded economic trade.
Ben Sloat has a BA from UC Berkeley and an MFA from Tufts/Museum School. He was a Fulbright Scholar to Taiwan and has exhibited widely in Boston but this is his first solo show in Europe.