OCEAN inspiring art and creativity

OCEAN inspiring art and creativity
 
Art pieces and designs showcased at Galway Atlantaquaria.
  
Just over one month ago, Galway Atlantaquaria put out the call for local artists and designers to display their marine, nature or sustainability focused work at the aquarium in 2022.
 
We were blown away by the response. Over 40 individuals responded, including painters, sculptors, print designers, photographers, ranging from the Salthill, Galway area to further afield, and covering all age groups. 
 
Petra Kerkhove, who is leading the initiative at the aquarium said: 'We were absolutely delighted by the level of interest in this project, and the number of people who applied. We are really looking forward to working with as many individuals as possible, to showcase the amazing range and scope of our local artists and their work.’
To try to accommodate as many artists as possible, the aquarium will now display two artists per month over the next 9 months, as well as featuring the artists on the aquarium website (www.nationalaquarium.ie) and social media pages @GalwayAquarium.
 
Featuring paintings, prints, sculpture and mixed media, pieces will be visible in the front windows at the aquarium. Follow us online to see whose work is on display as we go from month to month. 
 
Alicja Natalicz, one of the two artists that kicks off the exhibition for the first month, said: 'Sea life was always a source of inspiration to me. It is different; still undiscovered and a fascinating world. I feel happy and privileged to show my art work at Galway Atlantaquaria'. 
 
Alicja lives in Carrabane in Co. Galway, but is originally from Poland. She says she is only in the early stages of developing herself as an artist. Her art reflects her inner life: full of colour, lively and always moving. She finds her inspiration in nature, people, stories, ethnic patterns and imperfection. For her art she uses different media. She loves working with soft pastels, crayons, acrylics, and on display at the aquarium at the moment are some of her wonderful underwater scenes created on glass.
 
The second artist on display for the month of April is Cathal O’Malley.
 Cathal is a self-taught artist from the west of Ireland, and he has been painting for over 30 years, winning several art competitions during that time. He is mostly known for his oil and acrylic landscapes of Ireland. For him, painting is an expression of the good feeling we get when viewing a beautiful scene. His realism is trying to capture the view without commenting on it.
 
The other artists displaying their work over the course of 2022 are:
 
Patricia Byrne
Susie Quinn
Stephanie Coyne from Wood You Be Well
Tatiana Dobos Ceramics
Bloom’n’Wild
Orflaith Egan
Leo Quinlan
Helen Blundell Timon
Sacha Hutchinson
Rebecca Philbin Sculptural Ceramics
Aoife Welby
Róisín Gavin
Bernie Dignam from Connemara Creative
Joan Kilfeather
Carmel Madigan
Sarah Kay
 
So, next time you are walking along the promenade in Salthill, do not forget to check out the beautiful nature inspired window art.