Clare Arts Office in conjunction with the Clare Museum is delighted to present “A Better Place” Art Exhibition at the Clare Museum, Ennis.
Artist Gina O’Connor divides her time between West Clare and Limerick. While Gina is mostly self-taught, she has also completed art courses in Limerick College of Art and Design and Limerick College of Further Education. Gina has exhibited in many galleries including Draíoctht (Adare), The Bridge (Ballina/Killaloe), The Peoples Museum (Limerick) and Hare’s Corner (Limerick). Her recent solo exhibition, ‘Outside In’ in Scarriff Library Gallery was described as “simple, soulful, honest, unpretentious and deeply captivating”.
In Gina’s practice, the transformative power of colour inspires her to paint. She is forever in awe of how colour can bring us to a ‘better place’, even when it triggers less comfortable emotions. The explosive and vibrant colours and textures of her landscapes and seascapes are truly mood altering.
Joy, hope, calm and wonder along with fear, yearning, isolation, confusion, and loss are evident in paintings such as ‘Breeze’, ‘Valley of Brightness’, ‘Kilkee Bliss’, ‘Home Sweet Home’, ‘Wandering Away’, ‘The Path Unbeaten’ and ‘Oh to have a Little House’.
Gina works mainly in oils with palette knife and brush in a semi abstract style. Gina loves to experiment and is often surprised by the interesting and colourful faces, figures and features that emerge from her explorative journeys on canvas. Atmosphere, emotion and motion are central to her work. Gina describes her experience of painting as an “urgent outburst of expression”.
This free exhibition runs from 14th March to 14th April, 2023 everyone is welcome! Come visit this wonderful exhibition, you will be all the ‘better’ for having done so!