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Bray Arts Journal Issue 9 May 2011 Volume 16
Bray Arts JournalIssue 9 May 2011 Volume 16
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Clara Byrne
Review of Bray Arts Evening Monday April 4,
The April event was decorated by Zan reminiscent of Easter. Thesecond fund-raising raffle took place during the break with prizesgenerously donated by members and a number of businesses inBray . Sound operation was managed as usual by MichaelMonaghan generously taking time out from his studies to ensurethe best audio production for the occasion.
The first performer was Clara Byrne, a newcomer to the club inthe young musician slot,singer, song-writer andguitarist. She began with "AGood Time" featuring therich bass sounds of herunusual steel-string guitar.Clara has a magnificentvoice which she used to goodeffect giving a strong andvibrant strength to her words.Her guitar slap-strummingtechnique suited her choiceof song very well. Clara sangfive songs in all including avery dramatic rendering ofthe story of a young motherwith 2 children in Birkenauunknowingly sending themto the gas chamber. Claraillustrated the poignancy ofthe event by marking out aslow, single note thumb strokes on the bass string. Closing, Clarareceived loud applause and we look forward to hearing her again.
Preview of Bray Arts Evening8:00 pm Monday May 9th 2011
Upstairs at The Martello, Seafront, BrayEveryone is welcome Adm. €5 / €4 conc
Poetry
Mairide Woods was born in Dublin and grew up in Cushendall,Co. Antrim. She will read from her latest collection, ‘UnobservedMoments of Time’
In one poem 'Long and Lost', the lines
Your ghost stares at me, disrememberingthe full moon of our lives; how is it possibleto forget so much?
expresses exquisitely that deep, almost intangible, sense of lossand passing that flows like a hidden river inside us. You can readsome of Mairide's beautiful poetry from her latest collection onpage 4 of this journal.
Dance
The students of the Barbara Donnelly School of Dance willbe presenting 'Dance Magic' in MermaidTheatre on 19th and 20th of May. Pupils rangingfrom tiny tots to adults are sure to dazzle withtheir dance and performance skills. Displayinga range of Classical Ballet, Jazz and Moderndances featuring music from classical scores toBroadway hits, it’s guaranteed that there’ssomething for everyone! Before that, however,Bray Arts will have the privilege of a preview ofone of dances from the show, plus somethingspecial from Barbara's always hugely popularrepertoire of dance. Bring it on.
Music
Darragh O'Neill is one of the leading Irish guitarists of hisgeneration. His international career as a solo concertguitarist/composer has taken him to many of the great concertvenues around the world. Highlights include Carnegie Hall in NewYork, Wigmore Hall in London, Oude Kerk in Amsterdam, TheManggha Theatre in Krakow, and numerous sell out performances
back home in his native Dublin's National Concert Hall. His highlyacclaimed performances are always noted for their stylistic
awareness, with equal measures of delicacy and virtuosity, fireingthe imagination and touching the heart.
"Darragh O'Neill is a guitarist with a wonderful sensibility andartistry..." Carlos Bonell.
Front Cover : Self Portrait by Frida Kahlo - see moreon Kahlo and Rivera Exhibition in IMMA pg 6
Peter Growney, painter and photographer, presented a stunningdisplay of paintings in a wide array of media saying that he believein “doing a variety of styles as the spice of life"! Peter came to
work in Bray in 1968 and hiscollection reveals a fascinatinginsight into the people,buildings, countryside and allcreatures large and small thatattracted his attention sincethen. A large part of his workrelates to the church of whichhe had a number of itemsincluding a striking example ofa set of churches in Watercolorwhich was reproduced as alimited edition print. A keenfamily man, Peter never lets aholiday get in the way of agood painting as he showed awonderful view of Niagara
Falls from the Canadian side. A pastel featured in last month’sBray arts Journal was painted in London and an Austrian scenefrom his daughter’s wedding.
Some of the commissioned work carried out by Peter include GlinCastle owned by the Knight of Glin, Oldcastle from Lough Crewfor an American client, a paintings for O’Kelly Jewelers transferredto crystal as a presentations for Bray Town council and a paintingof the Bray Ferris Wheel for presentation to President McAleese.
Peter finds inspiration when he goes out on his bicycle and heshowed scenes from Arklow to Sandymount Green to illustrate hispoint. These works were executed variously with pallet knife, oils,pencil and watercolour or pen and ink. The one thing they have incommon is a personal association or event which Peter can capturein his rendering.
Peter’s work is a remarkable record of life in the Bray – Greystonesarea over the past forty years and can be seen on his web site forposterity. A long-standing member of the Bray arts committee,Peter is an inspiration to us all!
Lorraine O’Brien, writer and actor, followed with a reading ofsome of her works. Starting on a light note, she regaled her
audience with a humorous taleof women and the crisis ofunwanted hair. She declaredthat “All hairy women shouldbe banished to hell or toConnacht”. Turning to thetheme of relieving stress,Lorraine read a short piecewhich she wrote a couple ofyears ago for Toast Masters inBray with the title of "TheHeretics Guide to Inner Peace".Lorraine’s irrepressible humoursurfaced as she brought outvarious alternative methods ofcombating stress. Herrecommendations included:“To avoid road rage, close your
eyes!” Or: “Visualise your feelings as fruits or vegetables then
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crush and chop them as appropriate!” With this and other quipsshe covered anger management and social values.
She told the amusing tale of “The spiritual tail of St. Francis’ sow"and his fascination with such a small tail on so large an animal.
Lorraine completed her presentation with a humorous rendition ofthe desire of a seven-year old girl whose ambition was to becomea martyr and a “a shocking holy saint!”. Singing in a parody of alittle girl’s voice, Lorraine Invited the audience to share in therefrain bringing her performance to a close amidst laughter andapplause.
The noted jazz saxophonist, Alex Matthias, took the stageaccompanied by Julian Colorossi on guitar and RayO’Donoghue on bass and brought the house down with amagnificent run of solos and funky improvisations. Inspired by the
playing of John Coultrane, Alex opened the session with his owncomposition: "Funk Bop" and treated his audience to a feast ofmelody, rhythm and mood music. Julian emerged as an inspiredguitarist who lost himself in his playing whether accompanyingthe other two or taking a solo. His intricate picking style, fluentchording and use of apoyando and tremolo techniques drew intensefascination from all present. Ray provided a mean bass that keptthe music going and he, too, shone when it came to his turn to playa solo stretch. All three showed an empathy that resonatedthroughout reflecting the theme set by their leader Alex andcrossing over with intricate harmonies and tonal effects shiftingeasily from diminished to major chords.
Alex paid tribute to the Newpark School of Music where Julianand Ray are currently studying jazz and make tremendousambassadors for the centre. Eventually the evening had to finishand Alex, Julian and Ray closed with a flourish to great applauseand calls for an encore.
Cearbhall E. O'Meadhra
Peter Growney
Lorraine O’Brien
Julian Colorossi, Alex Matthias, Ray O’Donoghue
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Fishing for Hope
by Máiríde Woods
I throw my line out into an empty ocean.not dressed for fishing, knowing nothingabout waders, oilskins or moving shoals...What might I have caughthad the ocean not been barrenof lovers, questions or other live bait. I sitby the arch of the bridge watchingthe vacant strand, stripped of its sandcastles,the squiggly waves innocent of any sails.No starfish point to answers as I waitfor that ghost moonto glimmer on the waters,- wait for the souls of vanished selkies.
Long and Lost
by Máiríde Woods
In these burrow-days after Christmasmy mind stalls on long-lost,on things buried outside churchyardsin brocade curtains, on black and white filmswhere men walk into long horizons.
There is snow in your hairand crackers in the thorn-bushes,Santa Claus has driven your old miniall the way from Castle-keepand tells me to hold on to belief...
You leave your second-hand Crombie coatin the hall; wash the oil and greasefrom your hands; the car has broken downagain and you have things to tell mein the significance of a crackling fire.
Shadows line up by the fender and childrenwith outsize toys pull my hand, asking meto blow up, to fix, to wipe, to placethe last piece, servethe final spoonful.
I look around the quiet roomthinking of the blue-stocking I fearedbecoming; my worries are ashes in the gratealongside your fears and I am powerlessagainst a twelve step future
Your ghost stares at me, disrememberingthe full moon of our lives; how is it possibleto forget so much? I strike useless matchesto remind you of orange and yellow, long and lostfallen from these clumsy hands.
Unobserved Moments of Change
by Máiríde Woods
Suddenly- overnight it seems -the berries are out on the rowan treesin clusters of orangetelling methat summer is half overand all those flighty hopes of springhave vanished like ghost riderswho switch overnightfrom future to past.
And I wonderif I had sat up all those July dawnswatching the rowan branches,could I have witnessedthe turning momentwhen the callow blossomsfell apart and the berriespoked their flaming pixie headsthrough the cross-patterned leaves?
I'm a late-bird, fated to missmy liminal moment,distracted by the quotidianas winter becomes spring,swanliness seizes the cygnet,tiny wrinkles creep along the neck,the tide pulls back to the shore.
It was a passing sparrow distracted methe day I found Eurydicecrumpling into dead leaves.
M ir de Woods was born in Dublin and grew up in Cushendall,Co. Antrim. She writes poetry, short stories and radio dramas andmuch of her work has beenbroadcast on RTE and BBC.
She has won two HennessyAwards , the FrancisMcmanus Short Storycompetition and P.J.O’Connor Award for RadioDrama. She has lectured anddone research in NUIMaynooth and UCD and is atpresent an AdvocacyExecutive in CIB.
clamberto higher ground.
Lilting melodieslace the trees,sweeping the airwith white apple blossomon a dove day afternoon.
Greystones Beach in Novemberby Maire Morrissey-Cummins
After the rain,the speckled glint of shimmering sandis now muddy brown.Like a blind, closed tight on the warmth ofsummer,the winter beach has shrunken in,changing the colours of my day intoa darker palette, shades of grey.The sun shrivelledpale faced and wornas the cold season begins.
Seagulls a beaconagainst a slate November sky,their sound, comfort to a lonely beach.The steps down to the water, pea greenslimy weed on stonebright, against an ink-rippled tide.
Seaweed colours bleed into my mind whiletextures playfully mingle.Salt air stings my nostrilscaresses my lungs with wellness.Sea sounds carry from the shores of Walesas I crunch the length of the milk tide.
I look to the horizon and imagine another mewalking a beach somewhere there,listening to my thoughtsas they channel the sea.Grateful for the gift of the nature,I look over my shouldermy footprints remainsolid, as in a freshly cemented paththeir sound, echoes in the shells.
Photographer : Maire Morrissey - Cummins
A Tangerine Morningby Maire Morrissey-Cummins
Frost carpets the fieldssloping to a crinkled sea.The air,cotton crispas spring leaps in.
Satin crowsdescend from a silver sky.Squabbling, they grazeon chilled dewdrops.
The sunrise,a red ribbon glowwarms tall tree trunksbasking in gliding sunlight.
A flame horizonburns a candy stripe skyon a tangerine morning.
Buttercup Fieldsby Maire Morrissey-Cummins
A dry stone wallof moss-grown granitestaggers,lush undulating plainsswaggers,fields ablaze with wildflowersbowsat a curvaceous hollowwhere a copper stream gurgles below.
Sheep fluff velvet meadowsmirroring cotton clouds above.Stooped,they graze on buttercup fields.Blotched blurs,
Photographer : Maire Morrissey - Cummins
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life and its growth, includingsocial and natural patternsand connections.
Her recent work has beeninfluenced by a trend she hasobserved in contemporarysociety where people,including her, arequestioning their existenceand its connection to the restof the world. Her pieces, likepatterns, serve as guides forsomething to be made andare therefore not finishedpieces but abstract ideas.
“The very questioning of lifeis centuries old and one ofthe most puzzling andintriguing debates. As an artist she feels a need to visuallyrepresent the world around her and yet she has the curiosity of ascientist who craves a better understanding of it. So as the scientisttries to understand life by deconstructing life and creating patterns,the artist decodes these patterns and attempts to reconstruct newones”.
Opening Reception: Friday 27th May 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera: Masterpiecesfrom the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection
IMMA from 6 April - 26 June 2011
This marvellous collection presents the iconic paintings of FridaKahlo and Diego Rivera, the twocentral figures of MexicanModernism. Few artists have capturedthe public's imagination with the forceof Mexican painter Frida Kahlo (1907– 1954) and her husband, the Mexicanpainter and muralist Diego Rivera(1886 – 1957). The myths thatsurrounded them in their lifetimearose not only from their significantbody of work, but also from theiractive participation in the life of theirtime, their friendships (and conflicts)with leading figures, their imposingphysical appearance and spiritednatures. This exhibition is well worth a visit.
Signal Arts Exhibitions
Pushing Out The BoatRADE, a drug recovery projectlaunch their 2011 art exhibition
From Tuesday 10th May to Sunday22nd May 2011
RADE is an exciting and innovativedrug recovery programme based inDublin’s inner city. In the past thework of our artists has been exhibitedin the National College of Art andDesign Gallery in Thomas St Dublin,the Dublin Civic Centre, the ProjectArt Centre, and has toured DublinPublic Libraries. The exhibition in theSignal Gallery is our first exhibitionoutside the Dublin city area andallows us to broaden the potential
audience of our work.
The work is a further dimension tothe original theatre, film productionsand creative writing that RADE hasproduced since its inception in 2004.The work is testament to thecapacity of people affected by drugdependence to contribute to societyand firmly dispels the negativelabels and stereo-type notionsassociated with this group.
The exhibition will be opened onFriday 13th May at 7.00pm in theSignal Gallery, Albert Avenue, BrayCo. Wicklow.
If you are interested in attending the opening of the exhibitionplease call 01 4548733 or email [email protected].
Opening Reception: Friday 13th May 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Join the DotsDrawings by Rachael Agnew
From Tuesday 24th May to Sunday 5th June 2011
Rachael Agnew graduated from Crawford College of Art andDesign, Cork with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art in 2008. Her art isbased in the medium of drawing, whether with paint, pen, collage,nature or technology. She has exhibited in both solo and groupshows throughout Ireland and in Cape Cod, United States ofAmerica.
All of her works are based on the line and the information itportrays. It is a visual response into the understanding of life andthe patterns she sees within it. It conceptually plays within thebroad and contrasting areas of order and chaos, nature and scienceand more biographically within creativity and society. Eachindividual piece of work is a direct response at different scales to
Patrick Duffy
Peter Feely
The Human Stain
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Self Portrait by Frida Kahlo
Natasha Gelman by Diego Rivera
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Message Board
From Fergal Flannagan:-Studio share available in Glendarragh Studios,Newtownmountkennedy. The space is approx. 230 sq ft, good lightand in a quiet rural setting.
Rent is €160 per month, including heating and lighting. Printingfacilities available and shared kitchen, free car parking. ContactGlendarragh Studios on 01 2819282 / 0877589575 or [email protected].
From Martin Davidson, Chairperson of Bray ChoralSociety:-
Bray Choral Society is holding its next concert on Saturday 28thMay 2011 in Christ Church, Bray.
The programme comprises John Rutter's "Mass of the Children",motets by Stanford, Bruckner and Rheinberger and on a lighternote, two spirituals arranged by Bob Chilcott "Ev'ry Time I feel
the Spirit" and "Nobody knows the trouble I've seen".For this performance we are delighted to welcome the choir fromSt Cronan's National School, Bray who will be joining us in theperformance of the "Mass of the Children".
The Bray Choral Society was formed twenty five years ago withthe intention of performing major choral works. We have appearedat the National Concert Hall on several occasions and have touredto Germany, Austria and Wales.
The choir rehearse every Tuesday at 7:45 pm in St Kilian's School,Bray during school terms. If you have an interest in singing majorchoral works, please contact our Music Director, Frank Kelly at StKilian's Community School, tel 01-2828126"
Painting in Oils
Expert step by step instructions .fromConall McCabe HND, BA, MFA
(New York Academy of Art)Courses commences May 9th to June 27th 2011
7:00pm to 9:00pm every MondayAt
Signal Arts Centre1 Albert Ave., Bray, Co. Wicklow
€150 (8 sessions)Places limited to 8
Contact : Conall McCabe 087 9702173
Masterpieces from the CollectionNational Gallery of Ireland
It is such a great pleasure and privilege to have the opportunity toview an original Velazquez, Carravagio, Breugel, Vemeer andmany more masterpieces up close. And, it's thanks to the NationalGallery with their current exhibition of Masterpieces from theNational Collection that this is made possible. What’s more, it’sfree.
Visitors to the Gallery will be able to enjoy a stunning selection ofpaintings from the European collection, from the Renaissancethrough to the mid-twentieth century. Each work has been selectedby Gallery curators for its significance in the history of art. Thepaintings and sculpture on display are broadly grouped by countryof origin, with Italian, French, Spanish, Dutch and British schoolsall represented.
Glendarragh Studios
Bray Choral Society in National ConcertHall 2010 on 25th Anniversary
Mrs. Elenor Urquhart 1795by Henry Raeburn
Kitchen Maid with the Supper at Emmausby Diego Velazquez
Bray Arts is grateful for the ongoing support of Bray Town Council and Heather House Hotel.Printed by Absolute Graphics, Bray www.agraphics.ie
Dental Care Ltd (Mr. Joseph Coleman Adv. Orth.)Prostetics(Dentures), Orthontics,And Snoring Appliances.
20 Main Street., Bray, Co. WicklowTel: 2762883/ 086 826 0511
Bray Arts Evening Mon 9th May 2011
Upstairs at The Martello on the Seafront€5/€4 conc. Absolutely everyone is welcome.
Doors open 8:00pm
Poetry : Máiríde Woods reading her own poetry.
Dance : The Barbara Donnelly School of Dancing
Music : Master Guitarist Darragh O’Neill
If undelivered please return to:Editor, Bray Arts Journal‘Casino’Killarney RoadBrayCo. Wicklow
Submission GuidelinesEditor : Dermot McCabe : [email protected] Writing Editor : Anne Fitzgerald :
Email submissions to the above or post typedsubmissions to :
Editor Bray Arts Journal‘Casino’
Killarney Rd.Bray
Co. Wicklow
Copyright remains with the contributors and theViews expressed are those of the contributors andNot the editorial board.
PSThe students of theBarbara Donnelly School of Dance,present
Dance Magic
At Mermaid TheatreThursday 19th andFriday 20th May 2011
