Emergence
posted by Paula Henihan at 4:24 PM
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Friday, July 03, 2009
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Written after exhibition opening last year
A handful of people begin to arrive. Nerves are high and the air is thick. Temperatures rise as the pristine white rooms become crowded with curious art viewers. I squeeze out a smile and look forward to the end of this awkward formality that is - ‘the exhibition opening’. Many stand and stare, others dare not look closely for fear of their reaction - or lack thereof. Red wine flows, faces flush, tensions wane. Conversations turn to concept, technique and visuals, with a pinch of name dropping thrown in for good measure. My sister arrives; a sense of calm. She views one of my installation pieces which consists of mouth imagery, string and several mounds of earth, her instant reaction is straight and abrupt. “Oh, I get it - so this piece is all about talking shite - am I right?” Thanks Grace - although far from the original concept…I love your take on it!
posted by Paula Henihan at 9:01 PM
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Friday, May 29, 2009
The Escape Plan
Getting out of the city this weekend - bank holiday! Yeah! Found this great image on Annabelles flickr.
posted by Paula Henihan at 3:15 PM
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Tuesday, May 26, 2009
National Drawing Day
To celebrate national drawing day I carried out a drop-in drawing project as part of the Airfield arts program. Ecosystems were the hot topic of four large group drawings that I had loosely planned and asked participants to execute in their own way.
posted by Paula Henihan at 3:44 PM
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Tuesday, May 19, 2009
I am exhibiting my work and teaching in The Ark as part of their summer programme Earth Explorers which looks great. The Ark is a Cultural Centre for Children in Temple Bar, Dublin. I will be exhibiting one of my sculptural print installation pieces along with fourteen Irish contemporary artists in the Arks' Earth Explorers Exhibition. The exhibition is on from 21st June to 15th August.
Image from The Ark.
posted by Paula Henihan at 6:10 PM
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Listening to Words
"In the design process, drawing is the act of thought."
Richard Mac Cormac
posted by Paula Henihan at 3:37 PM
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Thursday, May 14, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Listening to Words
"The lines I trace with my feet walking to the museum are more important than the lines I find there hung up on the walls."
Hundertwasser 1953
posted by Paula Henihan at 4:04 PM
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Monday, April 27, 2009
House to Studio to House
Move table into light, bring out materials, choose specific source material, draw, have tea, clear away materials, move table back.
Afterthought, a studio would be luxury!
posted by Paula Henihan at 12:09 PM
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The Dom-ster
Had to post this great card made by my friend. Cheers for the visit Dom!
posted by Paula Henihan at 12:02 PM
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Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Winged Beasts Workshop
I conducted a four day workshop with children aged 8-12 years over Easter. The workshop encompassed art practice and environmental science through practical classes, nature walks and talks. The two subjects compliment each other beautifully and the products of the week were proudly exhibited by the students on completion. Over the four days we prepared and created detailed drawings, dry point etchings, paper and wire sculptures, invented hybrid species, and large scale group mosaics.
Talks included life in the hedgerow, bees and the hive, pond life, importance of insects, and butterfly patterns. I learned a thing or to myself and now realize the world would be in bits without our amazing insects!
posted by Paula Henihan at 3:38 PM
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On tour
My age old sandals have tramped through lots of places.
posted by Paula Henihan at 8:49 AM
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Thursday, April 02, 2009
Making outdoor work
Making work for a large outdoor installation which is planned to be exhibited as part of Body and Soul in Electric Picnic. The installation will be part of an amazing concoction of interesting visual, performance, interactive and decorative art works this coming August - go Body and Soul!
posted by Paula Henihan at 10:37 AM
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Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Green-ness
I realized recently, I love planting seeds in earth and watching them peep out and stretch for the light, shed their husky seed and grow so perfectly. It is such a rewarding hobby and the best part is you get to water them and watch them over time. Next year, I must do some sort of time lapse of one growing.
This picture is an old graffiti I found in Portobello, Dublin last year. Me likes. One day me have garden.
posted by Paula Henihan at 4:12 PM
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Monday, March 30, 2009
Daylight saving scheme - I warmly welcome thee. May our serotonin levels rise for another climatic summer season. The darkness is behind us again.
Image from Nigel Peakes blog.
posted by Paula Henihan at 4:22 PM
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Friday, March 20, 2009
Learning about teaching...I think!
Teaching art is something I became qualified to do last year, and along with my qualification came an overwhelming sense of responsibility. Teachers can screw things up. I know I probably sound over-dramatic here but I fear committing every teachers main crime - to not teach well. Something that is done so so easily and so often. A teacher who practices his/her role well has the tool or method to ultimately change, or inspire a persons outlook on life, on a micro (or macro) level.
Robert Krulwich reckons that "teachers should be giving you more than just tension headaches. They should be giving you values, a deep respect for curiosity, for doubt, always doubt, for open mindedness. Teachers should encourage you to go wherever the data leads no matter how uncomfortable."
Taken from Tell me a story, Radiolab
posted by Paula Henihan at 4:55 PM
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Wednesday, March 18, 2009
The Book of Flanders
When I was young I used to hang out lots with two nerdy neighbours, they were sisters and we shared hours of fun together. Thinking back I remember they regularly used the term doubting thomas to insult each other. It seemed weird to me in a kind of Rod and Tod Flanders kind of way back then; it seems so much weirder to me now.
posted by Paula Henihan at 10:46 PM
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Saturday, February 28, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
This week I was invited to be a visiting artist in Hartstown Community School in Dublin. I worked with a bunch of first year students. We made great mono-prints and I talked to them about my experience so far as a practicing artist.
The school has an arts week each year which is intended to bridge the gap between education and the world of art outside school. It is so important that each subject in our schooling is linked to their place in the world outside of school. This contextualization gives students a reason for learning, a platform for questioning, and an understanding of the possibilities and expectations of life after school.
posted by Paula Henihan at 7:49 PM
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Saturday, February 21, 2009
Listening to Lyrics
I'm tired of being here
On this hill
No-one lives to be three hundred years
Like the way it used to be.
I think they were giants.
Midlake, We Gathered in Spring
posted by Paula Henihan at 5:17 PM
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Thursday, February 19, 2009
Listening to words
"A building leads three contradictory lives: as a component of the surrounding community, as habitat and as property.
If you view your house as a home, you''ll adapt it and it will become gradually ever more interesting. If you view it strictly as property, just an investment, it will become ever more standard, to meet the imagined desires of potential buyers. Seeking to be anybodies house it becomes nobodies. All the years of life in the house end up meaning nothing."
Stewart Brand on How Buildings Learn a documentary series based on his book of the same title.
posted by Paula Henihan at 8:51 PM
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Saturday, February 07, 2009
Oliver Jeffers is an illustrator, painter and generally a creative all rounder. His picture books for children are great fun and his paintings are excellent. Definitely worth a browse.
posted by Paula Henihan at 8:25 PM
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Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Listening to Words
"To create architecture is to put in order... Put what in order? Function and objects."Le Corbusier
Photographs of the Carpenter Building taken by my friend and favorite flickr member and Architect, Rita Palma.
posted by Paula Henihan at 11:57 PM
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Thursday, December 18, 2008
Viewing things - thisisnotashop
Get on down to THISISNOTASHOP! It's hosting the christmasy-est christmas fair I have been to yet. Mulled wine and mince pies, affordable art and dinky crafts, fairy lights and The Muppets Christmas movie lighting up the window space. Definitely one not to be missed if you live in Dublin.
When: Thurs 18th & Fri 19th December from 3pm - 9pm.
Where: Benburb street, on the left towards city from Collins Barracks Luas stop.
The idea here is that any artist/maker can show up, grab a hammer and a nail and become part of this show. Find a space - hang a piece and sell their art without the regular cost of a sometimes exorbitant gallery commission. I was intially worried that the idea would be a disaster and one that might result in a bit of jumble sale, but this fair works a treat. Careful crafts and a strong standard of art works of varying medium (with a few garish paintings as to be expected) all share this non-restrictive platform that thisisnotashop have made available to artists (and Christmas shoppers!)
posted by Paula Henihan at 5:02 PM
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Monday, December 08, 2008
rhythms and riffs
I went to hear Chequerboard play live in Dublin this weekend. I really enjoy this music - experimental electronic sounds mixed with spanish guitar. One guy, a few mysterious pedals (to me a non-musician) and a laptop - his tunes have a hypnotic effect when listened to live. Seated at a funny angle I had the pleasure of staring at the many gazes of people in the audience who had all become entranced by relaxing rhythms and riffs. Listen here.
While listening and watching others my mind wandered back to the movie Heima. Some keen cinematography in this film captures beautiful faces in Sigur Ros's audience that convey the innate understanding of music and rhythm that people share. A natural yearning for repetition, pattern and resonance.
posted by Paula Henihan at 8:34 PM
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Friday, December 05, 2008
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Text Ts
I don't usually like T-shirt designs that include text - but here are three I like! Found atThreadless. This site has had booming business for years now, well because it's genius. Threadless print and dispatch t-shirts. They get anyone to submit a design, the public vote, they print up the popular designs and give the designer a cut per t-shirt sold. Guaranteed sales every time - simple and smart.
posted by Paula Henihan at 4:19 PM
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Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Gocco print tutorial
I tried and tested my new Gocco yesterday. It's neat. For those unfamiliar with screen printing - heres a run down of pre print planning needed for a layered two colour print...
1. Create design
2. Separate design into two colours - one colour on one tracing of your original design, the second colour on a separate second tracing of your original design.
3. This is a picture of my home made light box - its an acrylic mag rack with a light bulb underneath to help with tracing original lines accurately.
4. Expose photocopy of master drawing for colour 1 and print first colour several times.
Expose photocopy of master drawing of colour 2. Using a registration sheet, carefully print colour two directly on top of colour one lining them up for a seamless overlay. I have a PG 10 Super which allows for accurate registration.
You can come visit my shop where I have handmade items for sale, my online shop Crumbskitchen is now open on Etsy.
posted by Paula Henihan at 10:10 PM
1 comments
Thursday, November 27, 2008
My gocco arrived!
This amazing little machine is a small scale screen-printer for hand printing multiples. It's got an exposure unit incorporated into it's compact design and has a movable press bed for accurate registration. It was designed in Japan initially as a toy or home printer and is a popular craft accessory in many homes in Japan. The manufacturing company has now ceased production but I managed to grab one just before Riso replace their product with a digital stencil maker. Now it's time to design some prints...
posted by Paula Henihan at 7:21 PM
1 comments
Monday, November 17, 2008
Updating - finally!
Yeah! I have finally learned how to update my website. Thank you thoughtwax for all your hard work in creating my self-addressed online presence. And now - after about four years (of patience and silent wishes) I have gained control over my site, well semi-control!
posted by Paula Henihan at 9:11 PM
2 comments
Saturday, November 08, 2008
Listening to Lyrics
Do you realize the sun doesn't go down, it's just an illusion caused by the world spinning round.
The Flaming Lips, Do you Realize??
posted by Paula Henihan at 11:12 AM
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Thursday, November 06, 2008
Viewing Art - Vanessa Donoso Lopéz at The Stone Gallery
Vanessa Donoso Lopéz (image above) is currently showing at the Stone Gallery. It's a show worth seeing although seriously tight for space. The work feels spontaneously fresh. Each piece displays diverse methods and actions of making. A winsome and playful paper installation is contrasted by the loaded printed textile shrine-like piece installed in a regrettably tight hall space downstairs. I have to say the contrast in this sort of in-between space for me was slightly confusing. Although I do commend the individual works highly, I don't know if everything should be included in the show.
I particularly liked Lopezs' collection of little two headed specimens which speak to me of a fantastical land of the imagination while simultaneously bringing to mind dark notions of experimental scientific research.
Lopezs' paper pieces reminded me of Hans Christian Andersons' admirable intricate paper works (below).
posted by Paula Henihan at 4:23 PM
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Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Make
Time to start making again.... always a difficult place for me. This image is a detail of my mixed media drawing on paper titled Make.
posted by Paula Henihan at 9:17 PM
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Thursday, October 16, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
homelessness
Today after what may be my final walk as a resident of Portobello before I change home, I arrived home to a man sleeping on my doorstep. I woke him and let him know I needed to enter my house. He was slightly confused having been woken from his fifty winks. He seemed very embarrassed and uncomfortable about the situation. He apologized several times to me and moved on slowly.
Homeless people are ignored in Dublin city - what is so invisible about homeless people? We should rise to the responsibility of interacting with them. I was in San Francisco recently and couldn't but notice the amount of social and relaxed interaction between working folk and homeless people. This interaction, that is sadly amiss in Dublin city, must help all citizens gain a sense of belonging and place in their city, as well as a deeper understanding and respect for the layered society of their city.
Here's some interesting homeless signs from a Toronto based project.
posted by Paula Henihan at 11:48 PM
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