Laois artist returns to her roots with first solo art exhibition

VIBRANT colours lit up the Gallery of Divine Inspiration at Bloom HQ, Mountrath on Friday 4 September, creating a wonderful atmosphere as more than 60 people turned out to celebrate Ger Molloy’s first solo exhibition titled Art, Colour, Texture and Design.

For Ger, the night was more than an art launch. It was a homecoming and a leap of faith as she returned to the very building where her love of art first took root almost six decades ago.

The seeds for Ger’s exhibition were sown at last year’s Lovely Laois Homecoming Festival launch in Phelan’s Restaurant, Mountrath, where Laois artists and photographers had their work on display. Among those studying the pieces was Kevin McCann, artist and curator of the Gallery of Divine Inspiration, who was on the lookout for fresh local talent to showcase.

For the past three years, Kevin has curated monthly exhibitions at the old Brigidine Convent, now a busy community hub after being donated to the community by the nuns. After seeing Ger’s work at the festival launch, opened by Laois country music queen and festival founder Trudi Lalor, he asked if she would consider a solo exhibition in her hometown.

Ger was apprehensive at first, but encouragement from family, friends and members of the Druid Art Group in Treo Nua Portlaoise, along with a story she happened upon on her phone, convinced her to go for it.

The exhibition formed part of the Lovely Laois Homecoming Festival 2026, which made the occasion more special for Ger. She was also thrilled to have it opened by fellow artist and family friend Liam Phelan from Castletown.

Ger told the Laois Nationalist that her first taste of art came in 1967 when she arrived at the Brigidine Convent for secondary school. She said: “I loved art because there was neither a right nor a wrong way, it was whatever you wanted to do yourself. Wallpaper was in vogue at the time and our teacher would ask us to pick three or four colours and design a wallpaper or carpet pattern. I was in my element. She even let me and another girl, a boarder from Dublin, go up the town with charcoal to sketch buildings.

“I left school in fifth-year, went to work in the office in Telford’s and married Peter in 1976. Family life took over and I never looked at paint again until the covid lockdowns. Then I set everything up on the kitchen table and started freestyle painting.” Ger said she was still unsure about holding an exhibition until a story on her phone gave her more encouragement. She said: “The story told of an artist whose friend told him to put a painting on main street with a red marker and a note asking people to mark any mistakes with an X. By evening, it was covered in red Xs. This deflated the artist, but his friend suggested he put another painting in the same place the next day with brushes and paints, asking people to correct anything they saw wrong. This time, nobody touched it. The moral was that people are very quick to criticise, but not so quick when asked to step up and fix things. What I took from it was to make sure there were no red markers in the room tonight.”

Launching the exhibition, Liam said he was delighted when Ger asked him to do the honours. Addressing the crowd, he said: “I’ve known Geraldine since I started working in Telford’s in 1971. I was in the hardware with her husband Peter and Ger was in the office. They are just back from their second honeymoon after 50 years of marriage.” 

Liam said art had found Geraldine and praised the way she works with light and shade as they shift and change the mood of a piece. He said that a quiet but powerful message of acceptance runs through her work, acceptance of people, of difference and of one another, which, he said, is visible in the colour, shapes and movement of her paintings.

He also noted that Ger has taken art courses with Marie Moylan, Caroline Keane, Mary Delaney and himself.

Liam thanked Bloom HQ, the Brigidine nuns and curator of “this beautiful venue” 

Kevin before Ger spoke to the gathering about her art journey and her life.

Kevin McCann commented on Ger’s exhibition. He said: “Ger’s work is really good. She is a member of the Druid Art Group in Treo Nua and I knew her work would be strong. By God, when I saw her paintings for this exhibition, I was very impressed with her good mix of semi-realistic and abstract works. They are really well-presented, tasty pieces. Overall, Ger’s work is mightily impressive.” Ger wishes to thank everyone who attended, friends, family, Kevin, Bloom, the Brigidine nuns and her beloved Druid Art Group. A number of red dots appeared beside pieces on the night. The exhibition continues along the bright corridors of Bloom HQ until Friday 24 September. Everyone is welcome to view it. More information is available from Bloom HQ on 057 9300036.

See more photographs from Ger's exhibition launch in this week's Laois Nationalist, currently on sale in local stores or online.