Artists
Robert T Killen
1988 Associate Academician, Royal Ulster Academy
2002 Academician, royal Ulster Academy
2004 – 2006 Vice President, Royal Ulster Academy
Killen has travelled widely to further his knowledge of the various mediums in which he works. To this end he has visited France (with a particular liking for Brittany) being very much influenced by light in the area, Italy, USA, Canada and the western parts of Ireland, especially Connemara.
A source of inspiration has been the work of the Irish Impressionists of the late 19th/early 20th centuries and at an earlier stage he was heavily influenced by the work of the Group of Seven in Canada. At present he works in an impressionistic/expressionistic manner with the subject being painted influencing how paint is applied. His work is in private collections in Ireland, Holland, Norway, England, Australia, USA, Canada and in the collections of the Ulster Bank, IOM, Civil Service NI, Ulster Television plc, Boyle Civic Collection, MBNA, Haverty Trust and the RUA Diploma Collection. He was a prize winner in 2004 at the Discerning Eye Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London.
Malcolm Bennett
Malcolm Bennett lives on the Ards Peninsula but draws much of his inspiration from journey’s throughout Ireland and abroad. In a recent interview he stated: “Anyone who travels either within their own country or abroad will return with their own special memories. Photographs only acting as mind joggers but rarely capturing the real feel of the moment. I rarely work on the spot, preferring to allow time for the images to distil out. “My paintings recall places, people and situations and the sense of exploration is always an exciting and challenging prospect”.
Malcolm Bennett has exhibited since 1966 in Belfast, Dublin, Galway, London and Boston, USA. Several television and radio programmes have included his work through video and conversation regarding his paintings.
Sandra Maze
The beautiful countryside of both Ireland and her native homeland of Scotland has been a continual source of inspiration to Sandra. Working in oil, pastel and the most unpredictable medium of watercolour, her subjects range from landscapes to nude studies, from still life to portraiture.
She enjoys the challenging “en plein air” and her images are always spontaneous and fresh, painted with great honesty and truth to nature. The constantly changing light encourages her to work quickly and her desire to capture moments in time is evident in many of her paintings.
She has had a number of solo exhibitions in both Northern Ireland and Scotland and her paintings are included in the collections of the Bank of Scotland, Belfast City Hall, the Ulster Bank, limerick University, the First Trust Bank and the British Broadcasting Corporation.
LESLEY P RAINEY
I was born in Newtownards, Co. Down in 1969. I was always interested in painting from an early age, but it wasn't until I went to university to study graphic design that I realised that painting was what I really wanted to do. I continued to paint through my time there and was fortunate to be given a chance to exhibit my watercolours. I was working at Mount Stewart at this time and a gallery offered me a solo show, that was back in 1994. Painting is what I do, I don't know anything else, the fluid way the paint moves and the way it lets me express myself is something that just allows me to display the land around me. I am very fortunate that as a painter I can convey an emotion onto paper. It 's with great privilage that I can show my work to you here at The Battletown Gallery.
FRANCES DONNAN
Frances Donnan trained as a goldsmith and a potter in Belfast London and Denmark working primarily as a Goldsmith,but in recent years with more emphasis on ceramics.
Frances’ business Brena Ceramics has been a successfully run business for 15 years. Frances lives in the country, by the sea, and her deep love of nature-its shapes, colours and constantly changing light are a big influence on all her work.
Pieces are individually hand-sculpted concentrating mainly on animal forms both traditional and abstract.They are modelled, monogram stamped, dated, and finished in either Stoneware or Raku The product is authentically hand made from start to finish.
Exhibition work, collectors items, and other specialist pieces, all form part of a large and varied range which has gained a reputation for quality and originality.
GORDON MCKNIGHT UWS ARUA ASU
Gordon McKnight lives in Craigavad, near Holywood Co Down. He attended Belfast College of Art and later qualified as and Architect.
During his long and successful architectural career, he continued to paint and his retirement in 1991 enabled him to become a full-time painter. He is a member of the Ulster Watercolour Society, the Arts Society of Ulster and an Associate of the Royal Ulster Academy. He has won the Percy French Watercolour prize three times and the Rose Society painting competition twice.
1994 at the Royal Ulster Academy Exhibition, the public voted his entry the most popular of the show, winning the Wellington Park Hotel Award.
1995 and 1999 his work was selected for the Lord Mayor of Belfast’s Christmas Card. 2000 Royal Ulster Academy award for the Best Watercolour Painting. 2002 Wilfred J Haughton Award for the Best Watercolour Painting. 2005 Best Portrait in the Art Society of Ulster. 2006 Best Landscape in the Art society of Ulster.
HARRY REID BA HRUA
Harry Reid was elected a member of the Royal Ulster Academy of Arts in 1993 and was the secretary and registrar of the academy from 1993 to 2001. He paints in watercolour and oils beliveing that these are ideally suited to his interpretation of the wonderful variety of landscape, waterscape and townscape to be found throughout Ireland. Occasionally works in pastels and acrylics are also produced.
In exploring the practical application of other mediums to his work, the possibilities to be found in printmaking encouraged him to look at etching as a skill. Since 1995 he has been a member of the Seacourt Print Workshop in Bangor Co. Down and has undertaken projects in etching, mono-printing, block printing and screen printing.
His works have been exhibited at the Royal Ulster Academy of Arts, the Ashford Gallery RHA Dublin, the Ulster Arts Club, the Dublin Arts Club and in Municipal and Commercial Galleries for many years. One man shows and group shows and commissions have resulted in works being acquired for England, Belgium, Switzerland and Australia.
His most recent series of paintings are based on colour, texture and memory.
SARAH DUDDY
Sarah is a recent graduate from the Fine Art Faculty at the Universtiy of Ulster, Belfast. As a young artist starting out it isn't always easy however for Sarah, at the moment, this isn't the case. Constantly producing is most definitely on the cards for Sarah and her work is going from strength to strength.
With a recent painting shown this year at the RUA (Royal Ulster Academy), she is an artist that shouldn't be overlooked. View some of her work on our site.
Statement…
Inspiration for my paintings comes from my urban surroundings and how my surroundings were shaped. I am drawn to isolated derelict areas that harbour a memory or resonance of what once was, eroded shells of buildings, deconstructed landscapes due to conflict, war-torn cities, burnt out shells of houses or demolished streets that have been forgotten. My work has many subtle emotional undertones which break through in areas and cause a quiet reflection in the work. I use symbolic elements to represent positive and negative in my painting. I wanted to combine the conflict between dark and light, positive and negative opposing each other.
I feel there is honesty and atmospheric quality in my paintings with a strong emotional content. Whilst creating this work a ladder kept appearing throughout my images. I investigated this matter more and came across the Jacobs ladder. In the book of Genesis Jacob had a dream in which he seen a ladder extended to the gates of heaven. For hermetic philosophers, the ladder became an important symbolic motif. It was often used to convey the interlocking world of god, the soul and man. In some hermetic texts, the ladder was depicted as a series of chains, each representing a different ‘sphere’ of consciousness. I felt the title Jacobs Ladder was fitting for the paintings as the contrast of fragility and strength, dark and light, good and evil are explored within the paintings, this is not to dominate either sides to the viewer, but lead them to their own conclusions to where they stand.
GRAHAME BOOTH
Grahame is an award winning artist and one of Northern Ireland’s most popular watercolour artists. He paints exclusively in watercolour and as well as exhibiting widely, teaches at his own painting holiday workshops throughout Northern Ireland. He is in demand as a demonstrator for Art Clubs in Ulster and is a visiting tutor at Art Club and Art Centre workshops throughout Ireland. Grahame is a past president of the Ulster Watercolour Society and a full elected member of the Arts Society of Ulster.
ROSS STEWART
Kilkenny artist Ross Stewart’s work is getting more and more recognized all over Europe, having been Art Director on the award winning film “The Secret of Kells” recently nominated for an Academy Award at the Oscars!
His personal artwork is semi abstract; based on landscape studies but organically developed, focusing on the atmosphere and mood of the place, rather than the representational form. His highly textured mixed media paintings suggest wide expanses of bog or moor, solitary trees or boulders with vivid, intricate details submerged under glazes of earthy colours. Ross Stewart has exhibited across Ireland and the UK over the last 11 years and his work is held in public and private collections internationally.
ROBERT McLEARNON
Larne artist, Robert McLearnon still continues to be one of “Battletown’s” best selling artists – however Robert is breaking into other territory and becoming more widely known. The popularity of Robert’s work stems from his ability to appeal to a wide audience. Through his bold and courageous handling of paint, complimented by areas of tender tranquility, these vibrant paintings convey a visual excitement with an emotional or spiritual atmosphere. This new series of work shows even more his love of light and colour. Art lovers travel just to view his work or see him demonstrate at various art venues; he has certainly become “the one to watch”.
JONNY McEWEN
Belfast based artist, Jonny McEwen, probably better known on the Lisburn Road and in Dublin/Cork Galleries, is another artist who is rapidly becoming one of the most sought after artists by collectors of contemporary Irish art and is sure to consolidate this new position in the coming years. Jonny’s work has been recently acquired by the Office of Public Works and University College Cork.
Working with acrylic on canvas evoking Irish landscapes, urban spaces, boglands, beaches and distant horizons in a cool, predominately abstract style, Jonny is not afraid to broaden his horizons(literally!) in this exciting new series for “New Beginnings”.
