VISUAL ART EXHIBITION 2021
CURATOR’s statement: Patricia Haselbeck
A P A R T A N D T O G E T H E R
Charlie Harper’s enduring preoccupation with the human head is usually articulated through a rectilinear, serried grid. It veers from the rigid frame enclosing isolated, mute presences, to a looser patterning where restraints recede or drop away. Occasionally, the focus sharpens and a single head or figure is the subject, a narrative hinted at two angels struggle to adjust their wings; rowers, their race won, rest as they drift from sight.
But even when the subject matter turns towards forlorn city or landscape – the Burren or Limerick, for example – the framing web remains. These works are reminders of lives lived – sometimes alone or in isolation – but lives from which the collective impulse is never absent.
Paul O’Brien casts an affectionate if soulful eye on his home place, Limerick. His city streets are emptied, the sounds of voice and footstep gone. It is dusk, at that moment when melting daylight promises starry, starry nights, and a cat, slinking across the rooftops, seems to have the city to herself. But here and there light flows onto the pavement or through an uncurtained window, hints of the spirit and energy within. Then, on the city’s summer coast of County Clare, the mood is lighter, clearer. The waters sparkle as bathers return; a young man stands resolute, gazing westward.
If some of these works were completed in 2019 just before the plague struck, their muted tones and silences seemed to anticipate what was about to happen. Now, in celebratory festal days, the mood is changing and we are reminded of what we have endured and come through.
CHARLES HARPER
Painter
Charles was born in 1943 on Valentia Island. He studied at NCAD and Limerick School of Art and the Graphic Studio in Dublin as well as Film Making in Germany.
He exhibits regularly in Ireland and abroad. His paintings are known for their metaphoric themes, including, boats, the human form, landscape, angels, usually in painterly expressive form.
He has represented Ireland at International Art Biennales in many countries throughout his career. Charles has received many national awards for his painting, including First prize for his Painting “Media
Projection” in 1966 commemorating the 1916 Rising at Municipal Gallery of Modern Art in Dublin, and more recently he was awarded the Senior Artist Award at the RHA. His work is included in many important public and private Art Collections including The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Irish Museum of Modern Art and the Irish and NI Arts Council Collections.
A Major Retrospective Exhibition of five decades of his career was organised by the RHA Gallery in Dublin in 2019 and at the Limerick Art Gallery in 2020. He is a member of the RHA and a founding member of AOSDANA.
Prices on request directly from the artist, see contact details below.
Contact info:
Email: charlesharper600@gmail.com
Phone: 0866006960
Instagram @charlesharper600
Dimensions are all in cm
Paul O’Brien
Painter
“Over the past years, my work has revolved around aspects of places that I love and that have had a profound impact on my life and the lives of others. Some would argue the relevance of history but I find myself continually returning to those hidden aspects of the beauty of our cultural heritage.
My work ranges from coastland scenes, cityscapes to theatres, often focusing on a subject where I aspire to bring life, movement, and love. I close my eyes and imagine how I would like to see things and this is where the creative flow comes from. The use of materials in my work is calculated. I like to experiment with different materials but acrylic has been the first choice for many
years. I often look for avenues to experience the unexpected, giving an ironic twist to my work, that the viewer may not expect.
To me personally, art is the ultimate escapism. The emotions I feel at a particular time can result in the most creative and imaginative piece of work. Each day I pick up my brush, there is a new emotion waiting to be experienced.”
- Paul O’Brien
Prices on request directly from the artist, see contact details below.
Contact info:
Email: paulcob@gmail.com
Phone: 0830105416
Instagram @paulobrienartist
Dimensions are all in cm
