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West Cork Artists - A Celebration 2007

West Cork Artists - A Celebration is an annual event brought to us by the West Cork Art Centre the WCAC has a mission to promote and support the making and showing of art in the region. This year the Celebration was co-hosted by Doswell Gallery in Rosscarbery.

The WCAC emailed us this Press Release: West Cork Arts Centre - West Cork Artists – A Celebration 2007 West Cork Arts Centre was delighted to announce details of this summer’s largest group art exhibition, West Cork Artists – A Celebration 2007. This exhibition attracts submissions from artists living and working all over the West Cork area, from Bandon to Beara, including works by many well known artists along with several new names this year. Over 130 artists will exhibit artworks featuring abstract, figurative and landscape pieces. These include sculpture, paintings and photography. The exhibition will take place at two venues – West Cork Arts Centre and Doswell Gallery, Rosscarbery. Tim Severin, explorer, writer and film-maker, will open the exhibition at Doswell Gallery, Rosscarbery. The exhibition will continue at Doswell Gallery until 29 July. Cllr Brendan McCarthy, Mayor of Skibbereen will open the West Cork Arts Centre show from Friday 13 July and continues at WCAC until Monday 6 August.

Participants of this years event include artists Graham Crowley, Jacqueline Stanley, John Kingerlee, Pat Connor, Deirdre Crowley, Sean O’Neill, Paula Marten, Aisling Roche and Ian Humphreys. End Press Release

Doswell Gallery exhibited 46 artists work ranging from water colours, photography, dry pigments on perspex, glass, Oils, acrylics, mixed media, Batik, raku ceramics and etching to name a few.

Friday 13th saw the opening of West Cork Artists - A Celebration at the West Cork Arts Centre. Cllr Brendan McCarthy, Mayor of Skibbereen opened the proceedings. He confessed it was a difficult task to follow Tim Severin's opening at the Doswell. He added that Le Voyage du Brendan had only just started for him.

West Cork Arts Centre hosted no less than a further 93 exhibits from different artists. In total there were 139 exhibits over the two venues. Surely one of the widest representations of Artwork in the West Cork Area, a mammoth feat for the organizers.

As this was a great opportunity for us all to work together we @ Virtu - Art decided that it would be interesting at this time to ask for some feedback from both exhibitors and the WCAC.

Questions given to artists exhibiting in this years Celebration.
Question 1: How many times had they entered this annual event @ WCAC
Question 2: Are they a member of WCAC - Professional / Nonprofessional Artist Member
Question 3: Have you exhibited @ WCAC at any other time
Question 4: Their thoughts about WCAC and the work they do for them as an artist
Question 5: What was their acessment of the success rate of such exhibitions
Question 6: Did they find the size restriction 60 x 60 cms in any way bothered them
Question 7: Did they have any suggestions or tips on how to be a sucessfull exhibitor
Question 8: Had they been contacted by any media in the last year about your artwork

Virtu - Art got feedback from the following artists Gert J van Maanen, Sheila Hooks, Julie Aldridge, Nick Taylor, Deirdre Crowley and Karin Smith (myself) who very kindly supplied us with the following information. WCAC were also able to supply us with feedback on this years event. You can read what they have to say further down in this article.

Gert J van Maanen "Screen" Dry pigments on perspex was exhibited @ Doswell Gallery. Gert is a Professional Artist member of the WCAC and has participated twice in the West Cork Artists - Celebration Exhibitions. Gert's work has been exhibited in the WCAC only in these "Postcard" or "Celebration" exhibitions. WCAC Artbeat and for this exhibition used an image of his modern work for publicity. Gert feels that it is a pity that he never had the chance to show his "rainpaintings" in a decent exhibition space here in W-Cork. These works are so pure and so "W-Cork made".

Gert J van Maanen - Rainpainting - DRIZZLING SKELLIGS

Gert has exhibited and sold his unique rainpaintings in Dublin and on the Continent. The size restriction on this exhibition was 60 x 60 cms Gert J van Maanen's best works are 2 metres by 2 metres

Gert leaves us with a few words of advice on how to be successful "Know your art - history. Visit as many art museums wherever you can. If you are absolutely sure that this is what you want and there is no other way to express yourself then go to an art school and do the first two years exactly what your teacher tells you to do. After that get stubborn and do what you think you have to do (if possible try to convince your teacher or find another teacher who believes in you). Make original work and be convinced of the results that you're putting on show. Never do it for the money (if you want to do so find another profession)"

Sheila Hooks is a Professional Artist member of the WCAC and this year exhibited "Country Cuisine" Watercolour. Sheila has participated in this event since 1995. Sheila comments that the Members Exhibition this year looks so much better. It was really well hung and the standard much higher. However she would suggest that there could be 2 Members exhibitions. One juried and another to allow amateurs to exhibit.

Sheila Hooks - Drumbeg Stone Circle

With regard to the size restriction on this exhibition 60 x 60 cms Sheila says that at first she was a bit taken aback by the size restriction and that it would have been good to have had a bit more warning but it was worth it to see a decent exhibition emerge from it.

When asked if Sheila had any suggestions or tips on how to be a succesful exhibitor she says that framing is important.

Julie Aldridge is a Professional Artist member of the WCAC and has exhibited at this event for the last six years. She has contributed to the postcard shows and other similar fund raising exhibitions. This year Julie submitted "Sea Pinks" Mixed Media.

Julie comments that the WCAC are a dynamic organization who may be commended in that they are attracting funding for a much needed Regional Arts Centre. They have successfully promoted art education in the community as well as attracting new membership. However, she has a sense that the traditional members have been less well served. The annual exhibition has declined from an option to submit up to 3 works in any one year to 1 piece of work per artist, further restricted to a scale of 60 cm's. in any dimension for the last 2 years.She does of course recognize that there are were 140 artists on show in 2 venues this year and that there is limited space. Without wishing to criticise WCAC, Julie feels that there is a case for an alternative show for professional artists, which would show case committed and emergent artists, particularly since the local Beara Arts Society has been dormant for over 2 years at this stage.

With regard to the size restriction in Julie's case this ment that she was unable to submit a larger more recent work, one which would have been more interesting to her in terms of possible feedback. Further Julie feels that such 'over regulation' gives the show a superficial sense of cohesion which makes for a less dynamic, less interesting exhibition than would otherwise be the case.

Julie aldridge - Wine Dark Sea - Painting 51 x 80 cms

Commenting on how to be a succesful exhibitor, Julie's response was from her experience that she feels that the level of commitment to developing ones visual imagination and the ability to articulate that vision in ways that communicate to others is relevant to this question. Attention to detail and care in planning are also necessary.

Nick Taylor exhibiting a painting at the Doswell Gallery had these comments to add. This was the second time had exhibited at this event .Nick feels that it would be a good thing to have a permanent exhibition of local artists at the centre. That way visitors would always be able to view local artists work.

Nick Taylor- Antuar An Tuar Mor (Toormore)
Size: 122cm x 86cm Medium: Acrylic with foreground and water varnished
Applied to Driftwood type Plywood.

Deirdre Crowley "Spash II" was exhibited @ Doswell Gallery. WCAC hosted a Solo Exhibition of her work in 2004 she thinks that WCAC give great opportunity to the artist of West Cork.

Deirdre is also a visiting artist to schools and youth groups with Northern Ireland Arts Council, Creative Youth Partnership, Northern Ireland. (CYPNI) Deirdre's words of advice are to "persevere and believe in yourself".

Deirdre Crowley - Mountains and Fields

Artist John Eagle exhibited his painting "Gathering Storm" it is one of his finest. John Eagle says about his work. "I paint with oils on canvas, inspired by the mountains and seascapes that make up the Beara Peninsula here in West Cork. My work is from memory, as I always make up what I do, everything coming from my observations from a lifetime of being here ever since I was a small boy going out in the big black boats to go fishing with the locals. I know what the mountains look like, the rivers, the houses, all stored in my mind as I work my canvases. I hope you like what I do".

John Eagle - Evening Sunlight - Oil

Karin Smith This was my first time exhibiting I found it to be a great opportunity and all though I had to adjust the size a little to fit into the size restriction it was done with not to much bother.

Karin Smith - West Cork Sunset - Photograph

Response from WCAC - In its current form West Cork Artists – A Celebration has taken place for the past three years but an open submission exhibition has been an annual event at West Cork Arts Centre since its inception 21 years ago.

Of the three years West Cork Artists – A Celebration has taken place this was the year with the most submissions from artists – 139 in total from all over the West Cork region. This exhibition is unique in that WCAC literally takes art into the community it represents by locating the exhibits in a number of locations concurrently around the West Cork region.

Our expectations for this year’s exhibition, as each year, were to try to accommodate everyone to the best of our means and to display the work to the highest standard possible.

Given the high volume of anticipated participants for this exhibition WCAC introduced a size restriction this year to reinforce the democratic nature of this exhibition and ensure parity of the display of work given the limited wall space available.

WCAC conducted its own survey this year among the artists who took part. This took place after the event to get feedback on the show that had just taken place and to get ideas, opinions, thoughts and suggestions for us to work on in organizing next year’s exhibition. WCAC wants to see how the needs and expectations of practising artists, whether professional or not, can be facilitated. The responses to the survey, completed by the vast majority of the artists, were unflinchingly forthright where criticisms were made and disarmingly fulsome in praise also.

In conclusion, WCAC will continue to listen to and evaluate the artist’s feedback in relation to the organization of next year’s show. The feedback was very varied and invaluable to WCAC but one steady theme permeated the responses: a definite leaning towards the idea of a selected show rather than open submission.

Sales figures: 20 artworks in total sold during this exhibition. Slightly down on other years but in line with the experiences of other artists and galleries in the West Cork area.

Virtu - Art Conclusion: Firstly must thank all involved in helping us with your comments and input into this article. In addition to the artists that contributed we would like to thank the West Cork Art Centre staff especially Sue Harrington Publicity + Exhibitions Co-ordinator who worked closely with us.

In addition to the all of the above there are also those who work behind the scenes those that hang the exhibits for instance. Paul Cialis was the person with the responsibilty of the exhibits placement at the WCAC. From all the feedback he managed this mammoth task with great effect. Paul Cialis also an artist and exhibitor himself at this event submitted a the painting "Since the incident Marvo's mouth was really much too loose for credible venttrilioquism" - Mixed media on canvas.

Paul Cialis - Marvo and Boy

The open submission to this event seems to bring with it the most comments, overall there seems to be a leaning towards a juried submission in subsequent exhibitions. We @ Virtu - Art see that the open submission follows a long tradition, one it would not want to change as this is valuable to all artists when starting out and getting hung at such an exhibition is a big opportunity. However we @ Virtu - Art also see how the professional artists opinions in this matter are noteworthy. There are other options which could accommodate professional and non professional artists alike. After all what is ment by the word professional?, surely it is if you are paid for your work, the price becomes unimportant.

Links related to this Exhibition + article: In No Particular Order ;-)

• West Cork Arts Centre Skibbereen
• Doswell Gallery Rosscarbery
• Gert J van Maanen Artist - Virtu-Art Interview
• Nick Taylor Artist - Virtu-Art Interview
• Karin Smith Photography
• Julie Aldridge Virtu - Art Page
• John Eagle Meeting with Virtu - Art
• Sheila Hooks Interview with Virtu - Art
• Paul Cialis Artist
• Deirdre Crowley Artist
• Karina Collins Cork
• Pat Connor OSB Gallery
• Paula Martin Baltimore
• Richard Hodgson Kent Gallery
• Miriam Dunne Lush Life
• Janey Winchester Textiles
• Alyn Fenn Kent Gallery
• Anne A Bologna Kent Gallery
• John Kingerlee Bio @ Vangard Gallery
• Alison Trim Textiles
• Finola Cooney @ McBride Gallery
• Donna McNamara Backwater Artists Group

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