Over 80 oil paintings will be on display from 1st – 7th October
Rathgall Painters Guild members at Rathgall Fort
Rathwood’s Shillelagh Room will be hosting a week-long exhibition of more than 80 oil paintings by the members of the Rathgall Painters Guild. The exhibition will be officially open on Saturday 1st October at 2,30pm by Dr. Roger Long and will close on Saturday 7th October.
The group originally came together under classes funded by the VEC. The members were enthusiastic, loved painting and had the leisure time to develop their interest. When the classes finished and they had their foundations skills and ideas, they decided to form their own Artist’s group.
The artists group takes its name after the Rathgall hill fort that has been home to and inspired craftsmen and artisans since the Bronze-age. The Rathgall Painter’s Guild aims to continue this tradition in the visual arts.
The 12 members of the artists group approached Coolkenno resident Jacinta Crowley-Long, an internationally known painter who specializes in rural landscapes and equine and canine portraits. They were inspired by her passion and enthusiasm.
“Many of the artists had been painting for many years in the Rathgall area, before they approached me some time ago to attend master classes in oil painting,” she explains. “This will be our first full year working together and the group has been growing creatively since we first started meeting. Each artist has really developed his/her own style over the years and we are all extremely pleased to present our first exhibition as a collective.”
The painters meet up on a weekly basis for tuition and group discussions on the visual arts in general at the Ballyconnell Hall.
“The styles and topics of the paintings on display will be varied, from still life to country scenes and landscapes, many of those the public might recognize from the beautiful countryside around Tullow,” she adds.