The artists Josephine Boland, Jennifer Hennessy, Catherine Christie , Ann Fripps, Auveen Byrne first met during a painting workshop in Dunmore East in Waterford in 2021. They’ve stayed in close contact since, forming a collaborative group that meets at festivals, exhibitions, and online to share ideas, encouragement, and critiques.
“We didn’t know each other from before that,” says Auveen Byrne. “It was just one of those lucky things in life.”
Since that initial meeting, the group has remained connected through regular meetups, plein air festivals, exhibitions, and online discussions, sharing feedback, techniques, and encouragement.
“There’s the opportunity to talk about what we are doing, how do you deal with colour, how do you deal with light,” Byrne adds. “We’re all very enthusiastic and get great information and encouragement from each other.”
Each artist contributes a distinct style and focus to the exhibition.
Jennifer Hennessy, who works primarily in watercolour, seeks emotional resonance in her subjects. One of her featured pieces was inspired by photographs of a damaged house in Lebanon.
“It just really inspired me, those cracks in the walls, the story behind the house,” she says.
Catherine Christie, a full-time artist since 2018, works in oils and acrylics. Her contributions include still lifes, animal portraits, and plein air paintings.
“Art can be a very lonely journey, we bounce off each other in a positive way,” she says.
Ann Fripps focuses on the landscapes of south Galway, particularly the Flaggy Shore and Burren regions.
“Everything I have is in and around Flaggy Shore, the Burren, Eagles Rock,” she explains. “Having the group has encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone.”
Josephine Boland, who lives in Kinvara and helped organise the exhibition, is exhibiting plein air paintings created both locally and abroad.
“The hardest part was choosing which 10 I’m going to put in,” she says.
Auveen Byrne, recently relocated from Wicklow to Clare, brings a lifelong visual focus shaped by her background in town planning. Her recent work includes interiors, figure studies, and plein air landscapes.
“I like to draw from life to get the essence of that person or object put that down on the canvas or the paper,” she says.
The exhibition will be officially opened by artist John Dinan. Over its ten-day run, one of the participating artists will be present each day to engage with visitors and discuss the works on display.
“Whenever anybody comes to visit the gallery, they’ll be able to meet an artist,” says Boland. “And I think that’s really important.”
Though Quintessence is the group’s first formal exhibition as a collective, the artists say the process has felt natural and collaborative.
“Showing your work is very important,” Byrne says. “We hope that we’re presenting something that will shine with the people who are looking.”
The exhibition features a wide range of styles and subjects, with the group hoping to appeal to a broad audience.
“There should be something there for everybody, really,” says Hennessy. “Different styles, different tastes and a good volume of work.”
