Ah, Paris

Mary Cullen, Paris Street, Photograph, 2010

Mary Cullen Artist's Website

Mary Cullen, Textile and embroidery

My new website is http://www.marycullenkelly.wordpress.com/.  I'll still be blogging on maryscreative.blogspot.ie, putting up photos and exhibition notices etc. 

Wise Words from Don McCullin

Because I love looking at things, I was so interested to read what documentary photographer Don McCullin  said in a recent article in a Guardian photography guide.  Although famous for his war photography, his landscapes are some of the most amazing you can find:


'But seeing – really seeing – has nothing to do with photography.  And it rewards you with pleasure. I love looking at the sky. I love looking at detail. I think anybody with an intelligent mind can look at something through their own eyes and assess its value. You can feast your eyes on a daily basis...'

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2012/nov/15/don-mccullin




On the same theme, I read yesterday about Grace Coddington, the 71 year-old creative director of Vogue, who said she was given this advice many years ago:

'Her eye, she says, was trained by Norman Parkinson, who told her never to fall asleep in the car because she'd miss potentially inspiring views from the window'. 


http://www.guardian.co.uk/fashion/2012/nov/25/grace-coddington-memoirs-us-vogue-interview

Gaudi's Wonderlands

Mary Cullen, Hallway in Gaudi Building Barcelona, Photograph, 2010

Seaside Town in Winter

Mary Cullen, Seaside Town Sleeps, Photograph, 2009

Llandudno in Wales - the seaside town was deserted in winter but all the more magical for that.  A wonderful place to take photos and get ideas for artworks.

Vintage

Mary Cullen, Someone Else's Life, Photograph, 2012

We came across this house near Milford in Carlow, and dared to tiptoe up to the windows when we realised no one was living there.  Wonderful view of a house suspended in time, how I would have loved to been able to go in!  The sense of the house wasn't lonely or sad, more Alice in Wonderland - maybe if we had gone in we would have stepped into a different world altogether!

Rummaging through photos

Water bus on Lake Garda, Photograph, Mary Cullen

Worlds can appear in these small images, telling a story and drawing you right in to a different day in another place.

Venice!

Mary Cullen, Venice Window with Menu Reflected, Photograph, 2007

Searching through my photos for inspiration I found this one taken on honeymoon in Venice - wonderfully decorative masks on a vivid red background with a take-away menu reflected, fabulous contrast.
Mary Cullen

Sky

Mary Cullen, Sky Blue, Photograph, 2012

What an image, it just is what it is

In the Flow...

Over the summer I've been making small watercolours on beautiful textured cotton paper I bought in Wexford.

Mary Cullen, 'In the eye of the king', watercolour on paper, 2012

Autumn light is wonderful...

Mary Cullen, 'Poppy', Photograph, 2012

Inspiration is everywhere at this time of year, with the colours of late summer and early autumn glowing in that golden light.  Paintings made in this light can have a particularly lovely quality, and it's also well worth taking a wander with the camera to stock up on source material for the coming months.  Food for the soul as well as the eyes...

Taylorfest 2012 - Silent movies inspire The Blueprint's next venture during Taylorfest Sept 2012

The Blueprint are curating an Open Submission exhibition with Saidhbhín Gibson for Taylorfest.  It's a great opportunity as we're getting to show the work in VISUAL Centre for Contemporary Art.  Looking forward to seeing all the entries!

The Blueprint and Saidbhin Gibson present...

Film Clip of Blueprint @ Buzz's

A whirlwind (and shaky camera!) tour of Blueprint at Eigse

Blueprint Gallery at Eigse 2012

Our Blueprint Gallery at Eigse really went down a storm, what a fantastic location, we had so many visitors.  Blueprint Gallery @ Buzz's was a Pop-Up Gallery supported by the Carlow Enterprise Board, Eigse and the Carlow Arts Office.  The artwork was displayed over 3 floors, and we had music and performances too.  This was certainly the biggest project we've taken on, but we're so pleased with the response.  More to come on the show for those of you who didn't get to visit.

Yeats' Poem 'September 1913' features in BLUEPRINT @ Buzz's

This year's show features artwork by regular Blueprint exhibitors as well as invited artists from Ireland and the US.  Updates will be posted on our Facebook page 'The Blue Print'.
'Romantic Ireland from the streets' consists of 24 large colourful panels based on lines such as 'Romantic Ireland's dead and gone...' illustrated with images as diverse as Lady Lavery, Krusty the Clown, Jim Larkin and Jabba the Hutt will be displayed during this year's Eigse Festival at the BLUEPRINT @ Buzz's exhibition on Tullow St. This is the first showing of this collection in a gallery setting.  Opening on the 9th June 2012, it's a must see!

BLUEPRINT at Eigse 2012

Eigse's new director Hugo Jellet has asked us to open an artspace/ art cáfe for Eigse http://www.eigsecarlow.ie/  this year.  So the annual Blueprint show will be in Buzz's, Tullow St., Carlow , with some new elements along with the regular Blueprint artists.   Eigse starts on the 8th June and promises to be great this year!  We'll keep you posted...

Print Workshops in VISUAL Carlow March 2012

Plans have started for the next set of print workshops scheduled for VISUAL in March.   This time I'll be working on drawing and printing skills for printing on a press, so it's going to be accessible as a course in itself, or as a follow-on for those who participated in the last course in October 2011, which went very well!  Great fun, so hoping for more of the same this time round.  Working on a press is always interesting, great to get a chance to use this equipment and always nice to spend some time in the art centre too.