CULTURE: Vibrant Castlebar exhibition is a garden of delights
Paintings by Achill-based artist Maggie Morrisson currently adorn the walls of the Linenhall
AN exhibition of captivating paintings by Achill-based artist Maggie Morrisson is currently adorning the walls of the Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar. Running since April 19 ‘Apricity’, it was officially openned by Anne McCarthy, Town Regeneration Officer with Mayo County Council.
Morrisson’s work has evolved from various sources; from memories of her parents much loved garden and her grandmother’s small farm in the midlands where she spent time in the summers, from a sense of wonder, awe of and curiosity about the immensity of the earth, the very nature of nature and our relationship with it.
For ‘Apricity’, Morrisson uses images from her own garden and other gardens she has visited, including botanical gardens and in particular their greenhouses. She finds the latter especially captivating: “These creations of tropical plant habitats in the middle of cities enthral me, and raise so many questions about the real environments they are replicating. The tropical greenhouse in Amsterdam is one of my favourites.”
Visitors to the show will be immediately struck by the artist’s vibrant palette. “I have delved back into using colour as an expression of a particular feeling or experience of what surrounds us, what we are part of and our relationship with it,” she explains.
Born in Dublin, Morrisson was educated at the National College of Art in Dublin and the University of Southern Illinois, completing an MFA in 1992. Her work has since been exhibited widely. A substantial contemporary artist, greatly influenced by her surroundings on the western seaboard, she has received many awards for her striking work.
‘Apricity’, and exhibition of work by Maggie Morrisson, is running in the Linenhall Arts Centre gallery until Saturday, June 1.