Ballybofey artist launches new lockdown-inspired exhibition

Despite the restrictions on travel and the gloom of lockdown, Ballybofey artist Veronica Maguire chose to transport herself to another place to find inspiration for her artwork...her imagination - and judging by the 52 new works featured in her latest exhibition, it was a stimulating place to be.

Her mixture of mediums including oils, watercolour and acrylics certainly provides for an inspiring and imaginative collection. She also started experimenting with alcohol inks, a relatively new type of medium and as a result produced a collection of very unique paintings during lockdown.

Alcohol inks are a very difficult medium to control but it can give very unusual effects and by using her intuition and her imagination she was able to create new images. She also used photographs as a reference. Veronica’s preferred medium is oils and she also works in watercolour but has introduced her new artwork into this exhibition to show the diversity in different types of mediums.

Like the rest of us she missed traveling to the coast, the fresh sea air, the beautiful rugged landscapes and the countryside, so she escaped into her inner creative world.

In these latest paintings, Veronica has produced movement in the seas with the waves crashing against the rocks in a storm, also showing calm and stillness. She created houses on cliff edges which depict the emotions of being isolated and lonely. She believes that this lockdown period brought out all these feelings in most of us at that time, but also provided the space for creativity and learning.

Mostly self-taught, Veronica’s art journey started in 2000 as a new year’s resolution. She was hooked and hasn’t left the brushes down since.

She has always been inspired and drawn to the colours of nature, the ever-changing light on the landscape, the reflections, the colours of the trees changing through the seasons and the movement of the sky and sea. She describes her style as diverse, contemporary and colourful.

The exhibition at the Alley Theatre, Strabane is running until Friday, August 4 with the opening hours 10am to 4.30pm Monday to Saturday.

All works will be for sale contact details www. veronicamaguireartist.com or you can reach her on her Facebook page Veronica Maguire artist.