Artist Statement
On a deeper level than the notions of freedom and rebellion, incorporating colour and movement, Cookson works with what she terms the 'behind music'; she works with the masks of protection and the layers of learning people develop and build up through their lives; and she works with how they learn to live with those masks and layers; and how they achieve their wisdom.
The ‘behind music’ she refers to is all the parts of a symphony concert in their separate forms, all the patterns of sound, the individual notes, the individual instruments, the emotions elicited, the energy expended and the people involved, which unite to make the complete piece of music so beautiful, soul-reaching, acceptable and exciting to the masses of people who listen to it.
The parallel is the lives people are living, learning and sculpting to make themselves better and more wise; to make themselves more beautiful, valuable and acceptable to the society they belong in, while still coping with the energy needed to smooth out every-day stresses in meeting their challenges.
Cookson says of her methods and techniques: 'True inspiration comes when I am excited by a subject to the point of sleeping badly at night and (preserve me!) wanting to get up early in the morning. I use oils, sometimes acrylics, on artist-prepared stretched linen canvas or linen-covered board, occasionally using my own handmade paper and various fabrics for texture beneath the paint. I like the surface to have a ‘tooth’. Much of my work is done with palette knives and brushes but I also use sponges, my fingers, pieces of cardboard, paper table napkins and scrunched plastic. In fact, whatever is to hand in the moment of need! My work tends to be colourist in that I build up layers of pure colour often allowing the lower layer to show through, giving movement and life to the painting.
'I use my imagination, freedom of colour and stroke-movement, to bring my art to life, finding inspiration in the unexpected and in the use of ‘rebellious’ colours.
'Once the painting is complete it's important for me to be impelled to look at it again and again and to feel the butterflies of pleasure in what has been created – otherwise I paint over it again!'
Updated July 2008
UK, Ireland, South Africa, Namibia, many parts of the USA, Canada, France, Spain, Dominican Republic
Galleries :
Bold Art Gallery, Galway, Ireland
Cong Art Gallery, Co Mayo, Ireland
Lavelle Art Gallery, Clifden, Co Galway, Ireland
Lahinch Gallery (Kennys), Lahinch, Co Clare, Ireland
Angela Woulfe Gallery, Limerick, Ireland (permanent exhibition)
Sala Barna, Barcelona, Spain
B Artistic Gallery, Malaysia
Sq Space Gallery, Belfast
Fine Art Auctioneers (Secondary Art Market) :
Adams Fine Art Auctioneers, Dublin, Ireland
Dolan's Fine Art Auctioneers, Galway, Ireland
Galway Auctioneers, Kilcolgan, Co Galway, Ireland
Collections of Work :
Mr L Murrin, Dawn Foods, Naas, Dublin, Ireland
Mr A Boyd, Arizona, USA
Ms S J Lynch, Galway, Ireland
Mrs Nancy McAllister, Guntersville, Alabama, USA
Mr N McLoughlin, Ross Communications, Dublin, Ireland
Offices of the 'Now' Magazine Group - Galway, Limerick and Cork, Ireland
Ms Meghan Scott, Gr. Manchester, UK
Commissions :
South Africa : Mr D Bose (3 paintings)
South Africa : Mrs B de Villiers (2 paintings)
United Kingdom : Mr A Firth (1 painting)
South Africa : Mr Victor Ferraz (1 charcoal sketch)
Professional Member :
Visual Artists Ireland
AWAI - American Writers and Artists Incorporated
Founder and Organiser :
2005 'Art in the West' art exhibition, Galway, Ireland
Media Interviews :
March 2006 - TV1 and Radio 1 Barcelona, Spain
2004 - Profile article in Galway Now magazine (Ireland)
Publications of Paintings :
'Summer Field' published on front cover of WMS Wealth Management Services Quarterly magazine Spring 2008 (USA)
'Dolphin Abstract' published Events Quarterly Spring 2008 (Canada)
Designer for :
Dezign Inc. Harare, Zimbabwe, Africa (producers of T-shirts, aprons, paper items, mugs etc) - unpaid position
T shirts on www.RedBubble.com
Logo Design for :
2005 'Art in the West' exhibition, Galway, Ireland
2007 'The Cake Baker', Manchester, UK
2008 Ferne Krystal, Musician, Singer and Lyricist, UK
2009 'Just Wait For Me!' Restaurant Staff Training, Cape Town, South Africa
Studies :
Michaelis Art School, Cape Town, South Africa
GMIT, Galway, Ireland
Art Space, Galway, Ireland
Digital Art :
Digital Show for the Liverpool Biennial - Independents 2006
Digital paintings sold from www.artocracy.com
Photo Stock Library :
Big Stock Photo -
Stock Photos, Search and Download Now!
Residencies :
January 2007 - Cill Rialaig Famine Village, Ballinskelligs, Co Kerry, Ireland
January 2008 - Cill Rialaig Famine Village, Ballinskelligs, Co Kerry, Ireland (Winter and Summer)
January 2009 - Cill Rialaig Famine Village, Ballinskelligs, Co Kerry, Ireland
Exhibitions (past and still to come) :
October/November 2009 - Solo Exh. Sala Barna, Barcelona, Spain
June 2009 - Sol Exh. Thinkk Creative Gallery, Limerick
December 2008 - Group Christmas Exh. Bold Art Gallery, Galway, Ireland
December 2008 - Group Christmas Exh. Sq Space, Belfast, N Ireland
December 2008 - Group Christmas Exh. B Artistic, Malaysia
September/October 2008 - Solo exhibition, Sala Barna, Barcelona, Spain
July 2008 - Solo exhibition for Galway Arts Festival, Radisson SAS Hotel, Galway, Ireland
August 2008 - Solo exhibition, Galway Race Week, Radisson SAS Hotel, Galway, Ireland
December 2007 - Angela Woulfe Gallery, Limerick, Ireland
March 2007 - Anton's Cafe, Galway, Ireland
December 2006 - Christmas group exh, Bold Gallery, Galway, Ireland
September 2006 - Solo Exh, Fisheries Tower, Galway, Ireland
August 2006 - Solo Exh, Airfield Trust, Dublin, Ireland
July 2006 - The River Walk Exhibition, Galway Arts Week, Galway, Ireland
March 2006 - Group exh, Sala Barna, Barcelona, Spain
March 2006 - Group exh, 8x8, Fisheries Tower, Galway, Ireland
February 2006 - 'Floral Collage' group exh, Bold Art Gallery, Galway, Ireland
December 2005 - Represented Ireland at Florence Biennale, Italy
To shorten this list (!) - prior to this time both group and solo exhibitions in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Spain, Tanzania (Africa), Berlin, Namibia and South Africa.
WRITING :
Artist Profile Columnist for 'Galway Now' 'Limerick Now' and 'Cork Now' magazines since January 2005
Regular Contributor to :
'Moving In' interior decorating magazine, Dublin, Ireland
'Living It' magazine for the over 45's, Dublin, Ireland
'Boots 'n All' internet travel magazine
'Great Britain and Ireland's Best Hotels' travel guide - Galway hotels for 2008
'Irish Homes' interior decorating magazine
Author :
1994 - 'How To Make Handmade Paper' republished 2005
ISBN 0 9550272 2 5
2009 - 'How To Make Handmade Paper' the ebook (on both Internet and CD)
ISBN 0 9550272 4 1
2005 - 'The eArt Directory' - a workbook for artists wanting to market their work on the internet and art lovers needing to find artists
ISBN 0 9550272 0 9
2009 - Second Edition of 'The eArt Directory' the e-book (on both Internet and CD)
ISBN 0 9550272 3 3
Curator and Contributor :
'Art in the West 2005' catalogue of paintings, poetry and essays
ISBN 0 9550272 1 7
Press Trips :
2006 - Abruzzo, Italy - art course for Point 101
You can also find my profile here : LYNDA COOKSON
