NEWS  FROM  THE  ARTIST' STUDIO!

Where else would you see magnificent

Moonjars, stargazing hares and courting capercaillies? Do you even know what a capercaillie is? These are just a few of the fascinating pieces you will find at the upcoming exhibition of new work by Mary Wallace who paints and sculptor Gilly Thomas.

Described by the Mayor of Wexford at the recent launch of the Fringe Guide as “the terrible two” who regularly exhibit together and have made the Business Centre lobby in Clayton Whites Hotel their own gallery space for quite a few years at Wexford Festival Opera.

Expect to be surprised by Wallace’s exquisite tea bowls, majestic moonjars and other precious things inspired by kintsugi and the Japanese perception of beauty in imperfection, complexity in simple things and extraordinary in the everyday. The work takes a new direction to an exciting scale which in turn is magnified by her vibrant use of colour suspended in beeswax and the opulent pairing with gold. That being said these paintings have a quiet meditative quality that draws you in and brings emotion to the surface.

Thomas is concentrating on forms that remind her of the countryside; just a glimpse of birds and animals seen from afar. Her sculptures show the simplicity of the creature keeping the essence with clean lines and intuitive shape. Living in the heart of rural Wexford she often witnesses nocturnal animals as they go about, hence the alluring ‘Stargazing Hare’. Gilly creates bronze pieces that invite you to touch with both eye and hand.

This dynamic pair have exhibited together on many occasions and are well known on the Wexford Festival Fringe. Their exhibition runs for 8 days only from Monday 24th to the Bank Holiday Monday 31st October 2022. Both artists are members of The Makers House in the Creative Hub where you can see more of their work throughout Wexford Festival Opera.