The Norman Gallery, Monksgrange, Rathnure, Enniscorthy Co. Wexford, Ireland
Tel: (++353) 053 925 5071 or 053 925 5145 Email normangallery@gmail.com

NORMAN GALLERY NEWS 2018
		MYNYDD an exhibition of paintings by Hanneke van Ryswyk opens at The Norman Gallery, Rathnure, County Wexford on Saturday May 19th at 3pm. Mynydd (Welsh for Mountain) an exhibition of paintings by Hanneke van Ryswyk at the Norman Gallery, Rathnure which opens on Saturday May 19th at 3pm. Hanneke is a Welsh-Dutch artist living in Blackwater, County Wexford with her partner, and their son, Leo. Hanneke moved to Wexford in 2011. In her new series, Hanneke returns to her familiar images of fiery mountains, uninhabited islands, snow caps, icebergs, and melting ice. Many of the works feature curious indigo silhouettes. These shapes appear in the morning mist, rise from the water, stand on the shore and blur into the night. Hanneke has held five Irish solo exhibitions since 2011 and has been selected for exhibitions at the RHA, VISUAL, Carlow, The Model, Sligo, The Lavit Gallery, Cork, Bridget McDonnell Gallery, Melbourne and Somerset House, London and has most recently exhibited in TERRA NOSTRA at Wexford County Council. She has been awarded residencies at Cill Rialaig, The Tyrone Guthrie Centre, by Coracle at Kultivera, Tranas, Sweden and a Visual Arts Bursary by Artlinks in 2014. Her work can be found in the Office of Public Works collection. Mynydd by Hanneke van Ryswyk continues at The Norman Gallery until May 27th. The exhibition is open Saturdays and Sundays 12 - 6pm, Monday to Friday by appointment. A full colour limited edition 32 page catalogue is available for €5 including postage from hannekevanryswyk@gmail.com. Contact Jeremy Hill at Tel: 05392 51545 Email: normangallery@gmail.com
		Julian Milkis performs a recital at The Norman Gallery on Sunday May 13th 2018. Tickets €20.
Photo Pam Palmer		JULIE MOORHOUSE AT THE NORMAN GALLERY Two cabinet ministers and a county council chairman open Julie Moorhouse's sculpture exhibition featuring a lifesize bronze of St. Sebastian at The Norman Gallery. Minister for the Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Jimmy Deenihan said "I am impressed with the resiliance of artists in these tough times, and the abundance of talent in the visual arts in Co. Wexford is demonstrated by this wonderful bronze sculpture of St. Sebastian." Julie's solo exhibition is now open from Wed-Sun 2-6pm until 3rd June 2012. See preview here
© Bruno Leti   © Bruno Leti		BRUNO LETI AT THE NORMAN GALLERY Born in Italy in 1941 Bruno Leti arrived with his migrant parents in Australia at the age of nine. Growing up as young boy in rural Australia 100 miles from Melbourne, Leti absorbed the nature of the landscape that surrounded him. He is imbued with an affinity with the indigenous Australians and their own art forms such as rock art and dot painting. Successful at school, he attended university studying art history at the University of Melbourne. Bruno Leti is acknowledged as one of Australia’s great living artists working in the field of printmaking. His mastery of the many techniques and processes that fall under the umbrella of this art form can be seen in a folio exhibition to be held at The Norman Gallery that spans through four decades. Representing Leti’s extensive printmaking oeuvre this show includes some of his exemplary monotypes along with woodcuts and etchings. In a foreword to Professor Sasha Grishin’s recent publication, ‘Bruno Leti: Portrait of a Printmaker,’ Ron Radford remarks that Bruno is “a highly intuitive artist, responding to his environment with works that are imbued with luminosity and timelessness”. His work is sometimes referred to as autobiographical, yet the work “does not reflect the external circumstances of his life, but rather an internal spiritual growth”, notes Grishin. Bruno’s oeuvre as a printmaker and painter overlap in some key areas - brushstroke, line, gesture, burning colour and an abstracted surface, enriching our appreciation for his control over these mediums. Translating the language of abstraction is not always straightforward as the pictorial space is used as a conduit to convey and help us connect with a greater emotional landscape, Bruno’s and our own. The rhythmic marks and motifs that comprise Leti’s visual language are categorised under the broad brush of abstraction. Yet his images bear reference to the natural world in their cues to place and country that are often reinforced by the artwork titles, but also in the variegated surface qualities that the artist skillfully manipulates. This exhibition offers an insight into Leti’s sensory, emotional and spiritual vision of the world, and its expression through progressive stylistic developments that have occurred through time. A life-time of art making is too deep and broad a subject to ever fully encompass in one exhibition, but this survey brings together, in a cohesive whole, key moments to be shared and celebrated. Bruno’s monotypes are considered the most important body of work within the history of the Australian monotype. The works from the early 1990’s draw together his many earlier ideas, and represent a pinnacle of his practice in monotype. Leti produced his first monotype in the 1960s and unlike most artists he has been working in the medium ever since. Monotypes are sometimes thought of as diversions from the main emphasis of painting; Leti's painting, photography and 3D work are, however, his own personal diversions. His monotypes are the key to understanding this artist. Bruno Leti has held over 60 solo exhibitions in Australia, Europe and the USA - locations include Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart, Brisbane, Sydney, Perth, Geelong, Adelaide, Townsville, Milan, Cologne, Washington DC, and Chicago. He has participated in over 50 group exhibitions. His work is held in collections including: National Gallery of Australia, The Hirshorn Museum, Washington DC, Parliament House Collection, Canberra, National Museum of Australia, and is also in corporate and private collections throughout Australia and abroad. See images by Printmaker Bruno Leti here
		OPERA THEATRE COMPANY AT THE NORMAN GALLERY Bastien and Bastienne are young lovers who are destined to be together – but does the path of true love ever run smoothly? Sung in English and revived by Emma Doyle, this charming 45-minute piece is the perfect introduction to opera and a revelation of young Mozart for seasoned opera fans. Written in 1768, when Mozart was only twelve, this dramatic love-story is one of Mozart’s earliest operas. Although very young, Mozart already had excellent vocal writing skills and a talent for parody and whimsy that still delights the modern day audience. Saturday September 3rd 3pm €18 (€15 conc) Booking by telephone only (01) 670 8326
© Martha Quinn		Martha Quinn Solo Exhibition 20th August - 4th September 2011 An exhibition of sculpture and drawings by Martha Quinn will open on Saturday 20th August until Sunday 4th September. Martha was one of the participants in the Sliabh Gearr Sculpture Symposium in 2009 and her work was then included in the exhibition of sculpture at The Norman Gallery. Gallery clients have bought her sculpture produced at the symposium and, later on during the Wexford Opera Festival, some of her pen and ink drawings. Martha has recently completed a commission for EUROPOL, The Hague, and her large scale Cararra marble commission for The Royal Hospital, Donnybrook, was dedicated by Dr. Brenda McCann last Autumn. The Norman Gallery is open Wednesday-Sunday 12-6pm with an exhibition of gallery stock by David Begley, Anthony Lyttle, Philippa Bayliss, Cliona Cussen, Pat and Pam Palmer, and many others.
© wexfordtv.ie		Opera Festival Exhibition on youtube See video from the opening of The Norman Gallery's Opera Festival 2010 Exhibition here
'Respite' © David Begley 2010   'Figure study I' © David Begley 2010   'Dance' © Anthony Lyttle 2010   'Cut paper' © Martha Quinn 2010		The Stonebridge Gallery Opera Festival Exhibition 2010 16th - 31st October 2010 The Norman Gallery will be exhibiting in Wexford during the Opera Festival in a joint venture with Wexford Picture Framing under the banner of The Stonebridge Gallery at 96-98 South Main Street from 16th-31st October 2010. The show, featuring the strength of contemporary Irish art, will included David Begley, Anthony Lyttle, Paddy Lennon, Philippa Bayliss, Avril Harvey, Patricia Wheeler, and sculpture by Eileen McDonagh, Martha Quinn, Robert Flood, Niall Deacon and Julie Moorhouse. Reflecting the tough times, our artists have agreed that prices should be adjusted accordingly thereby giving an unprecedented opportunity to acquire quality art and sculpture. David Begley will be showing new work which explores his interest in under-painting and the building up of a composition with layers of carefully applied paint. ‘Respite’ is a contemplative figurative work which is an insight into today’s turbulent, sometimes chaotic world resulting from the financial collapse of recent times. Using subdued, dark tones of traditional bone black, lead white and raw umber Begley presents a strongly enigmatic work with his usual panache. Charcoal drawings used in building up the painting are also shown. Paddy Lennon’s fascination with water is fed by his daily walks on the beaches of south Wexford. In a large square painting, the greens and blues are infused with underwater light and the overall effect, as in the Begley, is veiled and subdued. Anthony Lyttle retains the strong sense of order that he finds in the landscape; his apparently abstract style resolves comfortably into the patterns of nature. Co. Wexford has a plethora of ruined and ancient church buildings where Avril Harvey finds the weatherworn stone carvings as a subject for her watercolours which show some originality. Her paintings interpret and record the eroded faces of long lost ancestors, her ‘King of Clone’ bringing to life the wallbound carving in Clone Church,Monageer. Cheerful bunches of cherries brighten Patricia Wheeler’s work and Philippa Bayliss’s garden paintings are compliments to the great work of Claude Monet. Philippa also shows a unique record of the old Theatre Royal with her painting of the 1980 production of ‘Of Mice and Men.’ She spent 3 days at the rehearsals of that cheerful opera and this may be the only artistic record of the old theatre in action. There is a strong representation of sculpture including stone carving by Eileen McDonagh, Niall Deacon and Robert Flood, while there are bronzes by Martha Quinn and Julie Moorhouse.
Philippa Bayliss     Anna Kiselyova		‘My Garden’s Progress’ Philippa Bayliss 21st Aug-5th Sept 2010 Philippa Bayliss’s exhibition which opens on 21st August 2010 is entitled ‘My Garden’s Progress.’ Its concept is a series of garden paintings from the early days of first plantings to the garden’s development and growth towards maturity. Just as it was for Claude Monet at his garden at Giverny, so it will be for Philippa in Myshall – a journey through change and growth, through the seasons and their cyclical variations, through the diurnal variations of light from sunrise to sunset, and perhaps a distillation of her own journey through a lifetime of art. This is not flower painting, it is about the garden, both as and in landscape. From her purpose-built glass conservatory in the middle of the garden, her plants provide the foreground to the background which runs to the low running Carlow hills on the horizon. There is no boundary between the garden and the rest of the world; the garden is a bodypart of the landscape which itself is a bodypart of a wide and wonderful world so enjoyed by Philippa. These paintings are a celebration of nature where colour and energy, and strong element of pattern, are major participants. In this body of work I am reminded of the vigour of van Gogh’s Provencal imagery, the sparkle and joy of a Klimt landscape, and Monet’s knowledge of plants and their colours as part of nature’s landscape. On Sunday 29th August at 3pm there will be a piano recital in The Norman Gallery by Ukranian pianist Anna Kiselyova who plays at the National Concert Hall on 6th August. Anna is currently working on a Master's dissertation, as part of the MMus in Performance at Dublin Institute of Technology, focusing on the aspects of interpretation of Bach`s keyboard pieces on the modern piano. Anna will play a programme of pieces by the great J.S. Bach. Tickets at €10 are available on line sales@normangallery.com or at the door. Prior bookings suggested. Philippa Bayliss will be the leading panellist on Sunday 5th September at 3pm in a discourse with the audience on ‘Colour and plants in the garden for Artist and Gardener.’ This event is free of charge and will include a guided tour of her exhibition by Philippa followed by a guided tour of the Iris Orpen Garden at Monksgrange by Jeremy Hill.
Pierre Puvis de Chavanne		Presentation by The Norman Gallery to the Friends of Wexford County Council Art Collection This small watercolour from 1877 by the influential French artist Pierre Puvis de Chavanne has been presented by The Norman Gallery to the Friends of Wexford County Council Art Collection. It will be displayed in the new civic offices. Chavannes is best known for his largescale murals which depict the soul of political France; though remaining a classicist during the time of the emergence of the Impressionists, he was an influence on Picasso and Matisse among many leading French 20th Century painters. The mural depicting the Childhood of St. Genevieve (patron saint of Paris) is located in The Pantheon, Paris. Chavannes invariably painted some small watercolours after the main works were in place since their size and permanence as murals precluded their being shown elsewhere.
Anthony Lyttle		The Norman Gallery is currently open by appointment. Please phone if you would like to visit. New York artist Eve Stockton recently exhibited her woodblock prints at the Wexford Arts Centre, and the exhibition is now on its way to Nova Scotia. The Norman Gallery has a selection of her work in stock including some not shown in Wexford. Gallery stock now hanging includes work by David Begley, Anthony Lyttle, Maeve McCarthy, Patrick and Pam Palmer, Peter Howell, Eve Stockton, Celia Perceval, Philippa Bayliss, Paddy Lennon.
Ingrid Craigie		The Schumann Story: Clara and Robert April 11 2010 The Norman Gallery is delighted to host a Sunday afternoon performance (3pm) of music and song as Dublin’s Opera Theatre Company celebrates the 200th anniversary of the birth of the great composer, Robert Schumann, with an intimate evening with Clara, his wife, companion and muse. Starring award-winning actress Ingrid Craigie as the strength behind his genius, we are guided through her tumultuous journey with Robert, interspersed with some of the greatest love songs ever written. We join Clara from the beginning, their youthful, illicit romance, through to the height of their love when their creative partnership resulted in great compositions for piano and orchestra, and finally to the agony of separation and her resolve to promote his legacy. Presented at The Norman Gallery on 11th April, The Schumann Story: Robert and Clara features talented mezzo-soprano Imelda Drumm and baritone Julian Hubbard performing Schumann’s finest lieder with piano accompaniment by David Bremner. For this enchanting performance, book early or risk missing out on something special! A parting glass of wine will be offered after the performance when patrons can also enjoy an exhibition of paintings and sculpture in The Norman Gallery rooms. Booking from www.ticketoffice.ie/otc or from Tel 01 670 8326.
© Maeve McCarthy		Christmas Exhibition 2009 The Christmas show opens on Saturday 5th December at 12 midday. There will be around 20 very collectable items for sale at prices from €135 - €345 and there will also be a large selection of work by gallery artists. Of particular note is the 1930 woodcut of the Flight into Egypt, a sharp and well defined image of this everlasting theme; a Japanese horse study dates from c1925, and three pastels by Cliodna Cussen reflect her carving at the symposium. David Begley works include 3 drawings based on trees in Bunclody, and several small oils. Anthony Lyttle's work is always in demand and on offer are small oils, etchings, and mixed media. There will be pieces by Robert Ryan, Philippa Bayliss, Pat and Pam Palmer, Miriam Robinson, Patricia Wheeler, Avril Harvey, and a few surprises! The show runs until 20th December when the gallery closes for the winter except by appointment. Please phone at any time if you'd like a look at anything in the gallery stock. See Preview.
© Martin Lyttle		Sliabh Gearr Exhibition October 2009 The exhibition of nine granite sculptures carved during the recent symposium was held at the gallery; it included supporting pieces that the artists had made prior to the symposium. Huge local interest in the symposium resulted in large crowds visiting the gallery to view the sculptures in the landscape and gardens of Monksgrange. The success of the venture, and the interest and support of sculptors and collectors, has encouraged the committe to consider organising another symposium in the next 2 years. Well done to prime mover Niall Deacon for bringing it all to fruition. Padraig McGoran, Eileen McDonagh and Cliodna Cussen were invaluable members of the committee, not forgetting the enormous input of all the attendees of the symposium. The outdoor sculptures will remain on site for viewing. See Preview.
Niall Deacon splitting stone		Sliabh Gearr Symposium September 2009 One evening, after a day’s work on his farm near Killanne, Co. Wexford, Niall Deacon was listening to the radio when a learned professor exclaimed that ‘no one works in granite anymore.’ Having spent many years honing his skills at carving granite from the nearby hill of Sliabh Gearr, Niall was saddened to hear the professor dismiss his hobby. He determined at once to disprove the statement and began to organise a symposium to be held in his own yard at home. With funding from Wexford County Council, and sponsorship from The Norman Gallery (itself only 3 miles away) a further €1500 was raised from the sale of artwork kindly donated by local artists. Altogether, enough was raised to sponsor nine stonecarvers to the symposium. Each one would be housed and fed for the fortnight’s event, and stone and equipment would all be supplied free of charge. With the help of well-known sculptors Cliona Cussen and Eileen McDonagh, sculptors were chosen to attend; they included 2 international representatives – Bojana Krizacec from Slovenia, and Emanuela Camacci from Italy. Also selected were Padraig McGoran from Gorey, Martha Quinn from Sligo, Martin Lyttle from Carlow and Paul Haggins from Drogheda. Niall, Cliona and Eileen made up the final three. On 29th August the carvers began by selecting their stones and getting set up in the one-time cattle sheds and haybarns that had been cleaned out and made ready for a new use. Electrical power was at each station and air compressors were at hand. Con saws and heavy lifting gear, bankers and sledgehammers were available on demand. Each sculptor had brought along their favourite chisels, hammers, drills, safety glasses, earplugs, and mouth and nose masks. Carving stone is a dusty, noisy business. By the end of the first week, the 2 figurative pieces were emerging from their original blocks of granite. Elements of recognisable form were becoming apparent. The non-figurative pieces were showing their design and compositional elements and the second week was going to be a time of finishing and polishing. Without the normal daily interruptions like phones, school runs, and cooking meals, the sculptors’ progress was sure and steady. They revelled in being able to concentrate without interruption. By the end of the fortnight Cliona’s column carved with organic shapes was nearly one and a half metres tall; Martha Quinn’s stone had been dressed with stars and the mica crystals in the granite sparkled in any sunlight that appeared. Martin Lyttle had superimposed a relief map of archaeological sites on a strip of road that wound across his stone, and Bojana Kizacec had transformed a plain old lump of stone from Cinderella to Princess by a seeming simple hammering of the surface, fulfilling the maxim of least intervention on nature. Emanuella Camacci chose three stones and then carved a track across their surfaces; when laid out in a row the tracks rose and fell in the rythmn of a hilly, country road. Simple, again, in concept, but her skill and honed artistic sense of dynamics make this an intruiging work. A highly polished granite surface is not what you find on a piece of mountain granite; its normally rough surface is hard on the skin. Eileen McDonagh offers a subtle demonstration of transformation and distinction from rough to smooth in her piece of stone which resembled a might-have-been gate pier before she got to it. Niall Deacon likes the idea of rebirth and renewal. From the wilds of the mountain to the decorum of artspace, Niall’s massive egg-like ovoid sits precariously on a tapering square column of roughed granite. Will it fall, or won’t it? Will it shatter on the ground? Is there a yolk? It is finely judged in its positioning atop the pillar supporting it, and it will intrigue for years. The two figurative works need another week or two due to their sheer size. Padraig McGoran, who once worked as assistant to Dick Joynt, is carving what may be a selfportrait, but is certainly a powerful personality with one arm thrusting forward to draw you into his confidence, the other waiting by his side for the eventual embrace. Using Alec Miller’s ‘Tradition in Sculpture’ as his guide, Padraig is carving a traditional sculptural figure yet a man born of the mountain. In the bay alongside is Paul Haggins’ carving which derives from the fluid shape of the old Irish letter b. This piece is also largescale, and the fluidity is emphasised by the fishlike elements that are included in the design. If big is your beautiful, then these two pieces will do. Working in a symposium allows the common cause of art to flourish among the participants. They learn from, and help oneanother as the days go by. Problems or difficulties can be discussed with a fellow carver on the spot; despite the wide range of subject, and manner of treatment of the stone, there is a strong bond among the group. It’s not competitive; there seems to be a determined objective to show that granite carving is alive and well in Ireland ‘and we’ll prove it.’ The carvers enjoy the closeness of common cause and understanding; they need the succour that each one gives to the other; they will be back again to carve for Ireland! An exhibition of their pieces will be held at The Norman Gallery from 17th October to 8th November to coincide with the Wexford Opera Festival.
Niall deacon - finishing touches
Padraig McGoran eyeballing his man Cliona Cussen carving Images above from work in progress at Sliabh Gearr Sculpture Symposium 2009
'Constellation' 800x1200x600cms, Sliabh Gearr granite © Martha Quinn
'Carousel, Cuba' © Patrick Donald 2008		February 2009 Two award-winning photographers have joined the list of gallery artists, the first to be represented in this visual arts category. Patrick Donald won the Bank of Scotland (Ireland) Photographic Portrait Prize at the 2008 Royal Hibernian Academy annual exhibition in association with the Irish Arts Review; the IAR featured the winning image, ‘Carousel, Cuba’ on the cover of its winter edition. Sharanne Long was the winner of the R.D.S. James White Arts Award 2008/9 for her work: ‘Reflection: Barbara in Portrait.’ This photograph had been shown at Sharanne’s show at The Norman Gallery in 2007. Each of these images is being sold in a limited edition of 100, Donald’s as a silver gelatin print and Long’s as a laser print with crystal matt finish mounted on mdf; other images will also be held in gallery stock. See images here.
'Hold on to light' © David Begley 2008		The Norman Gallery at The Dublin Art Fair 2008 The Norman Gallery will be showcasing some of its leading artists at The Dublin Art Fair which opens at the RDS, Ballsbridge, Dublin on 11th September. We are delighted to have work from David Begley, Anthony Lyttle, Paddy Lennon and Celia Perceval on our stand at location F6. There will be new work from David Begley and Anthony Lyttle. David is currently painting in Germany; this new work again displays the broad reach of his palette and imagination, and gives us further examples of his intelligent and deft ability to create a sense of mystery within his compositions. Anthony Lyttle shows a new large scale work, 'Shake this Land', 120 x 120cms, which deals with his interest in the psychological and physical dimensions of art as an experience. His intense and meticulous approach to painting allows only a few paintings to materialise every year; he is about to embark on an MA course at St. Martin's School of Art, London. Paddy Lennon's pieces contain all the luscious feel that he confers on his art, and the subject matter derives from his interest in the underwater landscape. Landscape is Celia Perceval's abiding interest; a leading artist in Australia, she has recently spent 3 months painting the Irish landscape in winter and spring - an unusual subject - but she has closely observed the one element which is always unseen and seldom described in landscape, and that is wind. Her swirling, diving birds and the colours of winter and spring have picked out the joy of a part of the year we often think of as gloomy. The fair continues until Sunday 14th September. See preview here.
'Neath' © Paddy Lennon 2008
		PASQUA by Michael Warren A new addition to the Monksgrange garden collection of sculpture is ‘Pasqau’ by Michael Warren. Titled through its relationship to the Easter Island statues, Pasqua (Spanish for Easter) is a ten feet tall vertical cube of oak weighing just over one ton. Like most of Michael’s work, there is a strong sense of gravity in this piece and so the worked elements of the timber are towards the bottom. Despite the strength and mass of ‘Pasqua,’ it is still has a great sense of serenity; and its clever placing close to a feathery leaved Podocarpus tree allows it to become part of the garden landscape with ease. Though smaller in scale than much of his work, it amply demonstrates the originality and sheer class of Michael’s sculpture.
'Pasqua' © Michael Warren
		An exhibition of new paintings by Celia Perceval: 10 - 25 May 2008 Celia Perceval lives in Australia where she has exhibited for over 30 years. Her father, John Perceval, and her mother's brother Arthur Boyd, were two of the great Australian painters of the 20th Century. Her wish to paint the Irish landscape, with its pervasive damp atmosphere, is a challenge to someone used to brilliant, dry light. But her energetic style, along with an acute eye for incidental detail, brings alive the winter-deadened countryside of Co.'s Kerry and Wexford.
'Dark Cloud over Mt Eagle' Oil on canvas, 40.5cm x 51cm © Celia Perceval 2008
'Avila For The Love Of Elevation' Oil on canvas 20cm x 20cm. © David Begley 2007		The Watch House Gallery in Market Square, Enniscorthy will have an exciting exhibition in December of original prints and paintings, ideal for that special Christmas gift. The show is running in association with The Norman Gallery which has supplied the works. This interesting development was hatched by Mary Bourke and Jeremy Hill who feel that Enniscorthy needs a gallery offering quality works of art at affordable prices. Among the pieces on offer will be 4 recent pencil drawings by Irish artist David Begley. There are also 2 new Begley paintings and some work from his early days in Bunclody. Also featured are works by the Gorey born Isabel Mesham, and Wexford artists Christine Mooney and Grainne Codd. An international flavour is given by Saul Schary (New York) Marie Opper (France) and Rosemary Mangiamele (Australia). Sean Hardie, Anthony Lyttle, Finola Graham, and Patricia Wheeler complete the line-up.