In conversation with artist Gwen O’Dowd, Aidan Dunne finds that what engages her most is the experience of being in the world
Aidan Dunne: Could you tell me a bit about your background?
Gwen O’Dowd: I was born in Dublin. I’m the youngest of six – four girls, two boys. As the youngest, I was free to do whatever I wanted. Academically, the pressure was off. We lived on Villiers Road in Rathgar, number 8. A playwright, Thomas King Moylan, had lived in the house and there was a feeling of layers and secrets about the place.
AD: Did you paint and draw as a child?
GO’D: Not in any way out of the ordinary. There was an elaborate bureau in our house with lots of drawers and cubbyholes. You’d find papers, pens and inks, and pastels. At some point I started drawing with those, without really knowing what I was doing.
Artist Oliver Murphy’s interest in portraiture developed out of his deep fascination with faces, writes Róisín Kennedy
In IMMA’s exhibition of works by Camille Souter and Alberta Whittle, Sarah Kelleher finds a current of joy running through both artists’ practices
John Rainey appraises the varied sculptural practice of artist Blaine O’Donnell
