Clár Ní Dhuibheannaigh charts how a boyhood dream became a reality for Will Sliney whose Cú Chulainn illustrations are based on the Táin Bó Cúailgne
In the winter of 2012, Cork-based graphic artist Will Sliney realized one of his life ambitions when he was recruited by Marvel to work on a twelve-issue run of The Fearless Defenders, which was published the following year. The thirty-one year old, Ballycotton native subsequently progressed to illustrating the comic book giant’s most iconic character, Spider-Man, a commission which helped launch his international career. Modest and self-effacing, Sliney does not think that drawing is ‘a talent that you are given’ but instead attributes his artistic success to simple hard work. And indeed, since graduating from the Cork Institute of Technology with a degree in multi-media studies in 2005, Sliney has worked at a feverish pace. His pre-Marvel work includes comic books such as Farscape, Star Wars, and MacGyver, while in the spring of 2013, O’Brien Press published his graphic novel, Celtic Warrior: The Legend of Cú Chulainn, when he was artist-in-residence at Carrigaline Community School, Cork. In between comic book work, he has drawn celebrities he loves, such as his boyhood football team Everton, a muscle-ripped and lyrca-clad Ryan Tubridy in superhero guise; and Michael Collins, Jack Lynch, Cillian Murphy and Graham Norton all feature on a new ‘Cork Legends’ mural on the city’s Grand Parade, the execution of which coincided with Sliney being awarded ‘Cork Person of the Month’ in July 2014.
With the recent passing of Ronald Tallon, Seán Ó Laoire reflects on the end of an era and remembers Michael Scott, founder and charismatic figurehead of Scott Tallon Walker
Catherine Marshall assesses the unwavering artistic journey of Maria Simonds-Gooding in advance of her retrospective in Dublin
The class of 2014 is looking anew to the tangible joys of creativity, in contrast to its documentation, writes Gerry Walker of the trends emerging from this year’s graduate shows.