New Josephine Kelly exhibition celebrates her connection to Inishowen’s landscape
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Recent Works, which is presented by Artlink, offers an opportunity to experience the work of an artist whose practice continues to be shaped by a close observation of, and lasting connection to, the landscape she calls home
A new exhibition of paintings by Buncrana-based artist Josephine Kelly is celebrating her enduring connection to the landscape of Inishowen.
Since graduating in Fine Art from the University of Ulster, Belfast, in 1997, Josephine Kelly has lived and worked as a full-time artist in her native Buncrana. Her practice is rooted in walking, observation and a sensitivity to the changing qualities of light, colour and weather.
Her early studio in Porthaw, close to the shore, played an important role in shaping her work.
Daily walks along the coastal path, in all weathers, became a means of observing and recording the subtle changes of the surrounding landscape. This attentive way of looking continues to inform her paintings, which capture fleeting encounters with place and explore our relationship with the environment around us.
Working primarily in oil on canvas, board and linen, Josephine seeks to elevate the ordinary.
Her paintings draw on familiar places, daily walks and passing encounters with people and landscape. Through shifts in light, changing weather and fleeting impressions, she captures moments that might otherwise go unnoticed, revealing the quiet significance of the places we inhabit and return to.
Rooted in Inishowen, Josephine’s work speaks to a wider sense of belonging and memory, reflecting on how our surroundings shape our experience of the world. Rather than presenting fixed views of a place, her paintings convey the transient nature of experience and the ever-changing relationship between people and landscape.
Josephine has exhibited extensively throughout Ireland and Northern Ireland, with her work also shown in London, Paris, the Netherlands, Germany and China. Her paintings are held in public and private collections, including the Office of Public Works, the Civil Service Collection in Northern Ireland, IBEC, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and the Carvel Group.
Her work remains closely connected to the local community and can also be found at House No. 35 on Buncrana’s Main Street.
Recent Works, which is presented by Artlink, offers an opportunity to experience the work of an artist whose practice continues to be shaped by a close observation of, and lasting connection to, the landscape she calls home.
The exhibition Josephine Kelly, Recent Works will run at the Artlink exhibition panels in Swan Park, Buncrana, Co. Donegal, from Saturday, October 17, to Tuesday, November 17.