Light drives the focus and the atmosphere in Kevin Cosgrove’s series on unpeopled workspaces, writes James Hanley as Cosgrove’s solo show continues at the Butler Gallery, Kilkenny
Although now known as a representational painter, interestingly, while still a student at IADT, Kevin Cosgrove painted abstract canvases that looked to the colour field tradition. What he learnt from these works was how to manipulate paint, use the versatility of the brush and tackle the handling and treatment of colour. Finishing his studies at NCAD he was encouraged to investigate more figurative elements and the genesis of his hallmark style was born. At first he was unsure of how to negotiate a path- as he says himself, the world opened up visually and the danger lurked in being that kid in the sweet shop, unsure what to pick, what direction to take, what to paint.
Mark Ewart visits the studio of Allihies-based artist Rachel Parry who transforms natural matter into mesmerizing art.
Kim Haughton’s portraits, on view now at the National Museum Collins Barracks, reflect on Ireland’s multi-layered society at the end of the first century of this nation state, writes Stephanie McBride
