This article is from page 84 of the 2007-12-04 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 84 JPG
TWO Clare artists have just repre- sented Ireland at a major internation- al art fair. SOFA Chicago attracts some of the world’s leading galler- ies and collectors and Nicola Henley and Kathleen Moroney both did ex- ceptionally well.
Nicola creates textile art from her studio in Tuamgraney where she is inspired by birds and their relation- ship with the sea and the sky. She spends a good deal of time studying and drawing their movements before making her textile pieces. Using a combination of dying, painting and screen printing cotton calico, she tex- tures her work with materials such as Japanese paper and silk stitching.
Ceramicist Kathleen Moroney was also a big hit at the Chicago fair. Her two-part ceramic forms are made from slipcast tinted stoneware. El- egantly simple, her work is inspired
by the Japanese appreciation of space. She is based in Kilkishen and recently became involved in an art project in the newly refurbished art- ists studio spaces in Tulla.
With Christmas just around the corner, now is the perfect time to discover the work of these two inspi- rational artists. Both have just been featured in the