By Eleanor McKenzie | Featured in the Fall 2015 Issue – Art Of The Times
The “Wild Atlantic Way” sounds romantic. For many people, it is indeed a fabulous spot on the globe. Stretching 2,500 km, this route runs from Cork to Donegal.
However, this area is also becoming home to a thriving community. Specifically, a number of Wild Atlantic Way artists are finding their creative voice here. Interestingly, many are “blow-ins,” or people who are not locals. In this feature, we showcase four women artists working in Donegal and Sligo.
Liz Doyle: Texture and Contrast
Liz Doyle lives on Cruit Island with her husband. Drawn to Donegal through family connections, she loves the wild, rugged landscape. She notes: “It is the texture of the place that suits my work so well.”
Stylistically, Doyle loves color and abstraction. She cites Turner, Cezanne, and Rothko as major influences. Notably, she paints with cold wax medium on cradled birch panels.
She explains: “The cold wax medium works better on a rigid surface… I really love the finished product with the thick textured matt surface.” Ultimately, her work captures the contrasts of the granite rocks and shifting light of the coast.
Sarah Lewtas: Sculpting the Primitive
Sarah Lewtas is a Londoner who swapped the metropolis for the wilds of Donegal. She wanted to live closer to nature for her art and her family. Consequently, she has lived there for the past 30 years.
Her series of sculptures, particularly Them, fascinates viewers. She creates these pieces using found objects like bones and wings from the bog. Lewtas explains: “There are three queens or goddesses in every tradition… that is why they have no name.”
Furthermore, she creates drama in her work using recycled materials. Whether using crows’ wings or red silk, she transforms detritus into powerful archetypes.
Tina Brooks: The Atlantic Drama
Like the others, Tina Brooks is a ‘blow-in’ to the west of Ireland. Born in England, she moved to a stark farm in Sligo at age six. Today, she is a renowned seascape painter.
Brooks captures the raw natural beauty of the Strandhill Peninsula. She states: “Essentially my paintings are an emotional response to my environment and times.”
Technically, she uses a method of layering and scraping paint. She repeats this process until she recognizes the place and its weather. For her, painting is a way to come to terms with the environment. She brings the mood and atmosphere of the Atlantic directly onto the canvas.
Lorna Watkins: The Internal Landscape
Lorna Watkins arrived in Sligo from County Kildare. Although she studied textile design, she now focuses on fine art. Uniquely, she describes her work as expressive and responsive.
Among these artists, Watkins is unique because she practices life drawing. She views the body as an “internal landscape.” She asks: “I began to imagine internally the tissue, the muscle, cells zoomed up; what would they look like?”
While she often works in monotone charcoal, she has recently started flirting with color. Influenced by Mark Rothko and Jenny Saville, she captures the energy and life force of her subjects.
