Lorna Corrigan’s paintings are simultaneously riotous, explosive and exuberant, writes Catherine Marshall
Lorna Corrigan’s paintings are simultaneously riotous, explosive and exuberant, writes Catherine Marshall
The Kilkenny Collective for Arts Talent (KCAT) assisted studios in Callan punch far above their weight in the Irish art world and beyond. Lorna Corrigan is one of their outstanding ambassadors. In its distinctive style, technique and content and, paradoxically, in its difference from the work of her peers, Corrigan’s output is typical of the studios, where individual fulfilment is the goal for everyone. Her paintings, drawings and occasional sculptures are figurative; full of colourful flowers, birds, animals and people, they are eye-catching microcosms of the Garden of Eden. They sing of fertility, abundance and, above all, democracy. In the kingdom of a Corrigan painting, all are afforded equal space to coexist and celebrate the joy of creation itself. Asked about her sources, Lorna answered, ‘I have dreams in the night and then I just have to paint.’
Her dreams must be remarkably vivid, since her paintings are simultaneously riotous, explosive and exuberant. Packed densely with patterns and abstract decoration, they are the antithesis of Sigmund Freud’s assertion that we dream in black and white. Or is it that the colour of our dreams is an expression of individual personality traits that Freud missed out on?
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