Westmeath County Council’s Atrium exhibition space in Mullingar welcomes Anne Marie Kearns as she opens her exhibition Caidreamh/Connection, tonight, Thursday April 9 at 6pm.
As a native of County Clare living in Westmeath, Anne Marie Kearns has been motivated by the natural environment surroundings. From the barren coasts of County Clare to the wetlands of the Midlands, her artwork shows the varied landscapes which inspire her to create and share her vision.
Of the overall theme, Anne Marie says “I love the sound and the connotations of that beautiful Irish word, caidreamh. The paintings in the show reflect that caidreamh, that connection I feel with Clare, where I was born and reared and Westmeath, my adopted home.”
Ranging from images with single strong vibrant hues to images with muted earthen colours, Anne Marie’s work captures the eye and allows the viewer to fully immerse themselves in the paintings. Anne Marie allows the viewers to place themselves in the setting and to interpret the work in order to evoke memories. This serves to connect the viewer to the work. Anne Marie’s deliberate ambiguity around naming locations in her work, allows her audience to appreciate the varied lands in which we reside.
Anne Marie’s show will be officially launched by Paddy McGovern, former chairperson of Carlow Arts Festival, tonight, April 9. There will also be a musical performance by Anne Marie’s son to accompany the exhibition.
Westmeath Arts Officer Miriam Mulrennan says “It’s a great honour to showcase Anne Marie Kearn’s show. The Atrium Exhibition space here in the County Buildings lends itself well to work that expresses something of an idea of place, and a shared knowledge of what place means to us. The backdrop of the landscapes of Clare and Westmeath clearly inform Anne Marie’s practice as an artist, so from that perspective the work has a rootedness that gives it meaning.”
Members of the public are very welcome to attend the launch of Caidreamh/Connection in the Atrium Gallery in the Áras an Chontae, Mullingar Thursday April 9 at 6pm.
The show will be available to view in the Atrium Space of the Áras an Chontae until April 17.
