Institution
Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT)
Medium
Print
Graduation Year
Class of 2026
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I am artist based in both Dublin and Sligo, and I specialise in the print making method intaglio. Copper plate etchings have become a field I am expanding on, through aquatint, chine collé and embossing. My work involves imagery of landscapes and nature, taking inspiration from the area around my home in Sligo. The themes of longing and homesickness frequently surround my work. I have exhibited in The Place Project, IMMA Studios (2023), Emerging Perspectives, Reynold’s Gallery (2025), Down the road, around the corner, Pallas Projects/Studios (2026), and On Show, IADT (2026). My project ‘Abounding in Shells’ consists of observing the derelict buildings/houses around the county of Sligo and treasuring their looming presence. Countryside loneliness and rural exodus play a large part in my work, as people move away from the countryside to bigger towns and cities, leaving homes and other buildings abandoned. This movement of people can be due to lack of facilities, shops and transport services. It can be very hard living in such rural areas, especially if you do not own a car, and this burdens the ‘idyllic’ image of the countryside. I want to draw attention to these homes, now decaying in a country with a housing crisis, destined to decay within time to come. Using both aquatint and embossing in my work, I combine the two methods in order to enhance each other and the viewing experience. The embossing feature gives a very important addition to the print, as you can only properly view it by looking at it with your own eyes, just like how seeing these buildings in person truly makes one feel emotion by being there. I have embossed some elements from the area beside these homes, enhancing the ghostly feeling of a home fading away. The remnants of these buildings are emphasised through features of nature reclaim. Trees and plants work their way through and over these structures, reoccupying areas forgotten by humans. Many of the buildings I have sourced from my own images, have been taken over by the natural elements of the surrounding areas, leaving trees to grow within these homes and ivy to smother the stone walls. I am always drawn to trees specifically, constantly in admiration of their journey through growth in the space available to them. Their asymmetrical forms are often woven into my work and their natural desire to reclaim abandoned surfaces is fascinating to me.
