My name is Ailbhe Wheatley and I am a writer and artist based in the wilds of East Clare, Ireland.
I graduated with a B.A in English Literature in 2019, and completed a Masters in Authorial Illustration at Falmouth in 2023. My background in yoga teaching and mindfulness informs my artistic practice.
Inspired by journeys (both of land and of mind), figures of speech and creatures of all kinds, my art reflects a love of play – of discovering the world afresh. It is influenced by my childhood growing up in rural Ireland, and adventures living abroad.
My work explores themes of companionship and unity through storytelling. Through this medium I open to otherworlds and ways of ‘knowing’. Storytelling is a multidimensional practice which incorporates poetry, drawing, movement, photography, performance and.. listening. It is, in its essence, a conversation with the world.
Creation becomes a means of peeling back the layers, an inner experience drawn through the imagination. All is rooted in the wild – in the wild home of the heart, or the mystery of a feather.
My poetry is forthcoming and has been appeared in journals such as Last Leaves, Blaze Vox, Spellweaver and Disabled Tales, amongst others.
Alongside my personal creative writing work, I have hosted and led storytelling workshops online and in-person in under the title ‘Drawing the Imagination’.
My writing can also be found on my newsletter at https://tricklings.substack.com.