Laois artist's painting finds ‘sanctuary’ in hospital

LOCAL self-taught artist from Togher Aileen Donovan has made history in St James’s Hospital in Dublin after her amazing piece titled She Sells Sanctuary was hung in the CEO building following the recent realisation of a life-long dream of achieving her diploma in art from the National College of Art and Design (NCAD).

The super talented artist loved art from a young age and took the subject for her leaving certificate some years ago. With her art portfolio at the ready following the exams, she sought advice on how to apply to art colleges to get her art degree.

Aileen said that when she approached her teacher for guidance about how to go about applying and which art college she should apply to, the reply was: “I wouldn’t bother if I was you.” However, in a prime example of never giving up on your dreams, Aileen returned to art over a decade ago and works from her home studio just outside Portlaoise, where she produces fabulously vibrant works, often with angelic and holistic feelings to them through her style of using glue from a glue gun, layers upon layers of paints and lots of creative time to complete her now sought-after pieces.

Aileen spoke to the Laois Nationalist at her art studio recently, saying that her painting She Sells Sanctuary is a big part of her art journey.

She said: “As part of the NCAD diploma course, we spent a week studying in Mercer Institute for Successful Ageing (MISA) at St James's Hospital. There was a week of lectures with various national agencies in relation to arts and health initiatives, including Creative Ireland, Healthy Ireland, HSE, the Arts Council and several others.

“I couldn’t help noticing and admiring the huge amount of art throughout the hospital. I had a chance conversation with a fellow student and mentioned that I had a large piece depicting a mother figure who is on the go 24 hours a day entitled She Sells Sanctuary. I always knew this was never going to hang on someone's mantlepiece and I had fully intended to donate it but never knew quite where it should be.

“As I sat in the boardroom of MISA chatting to the other students, I mentioned my piece and how I would like to donate it. I approached Roisin Nevin, Creative Life co-ordinator at MISA at St James’s, who was one of our lecturers and mentioned my piece to her. She told me she would love this and to leave it with her. Five months later, she called and said that the wheels were in motion and I had to pitch the significance of the piece to the nursing staff of St James’s Hospital.

“I explained it was a mother figure on the go 24 hours a day while being pulled in all directions. I then couriered the piece up to St James’s Hospital for international nurses day last summer. It turns out this is the very first time in St James’s long history that the nurses have ever accepted such a donation, so I have gone into the history books in St James’s. The painting is now hung in the CEO building, which is the oldest part of the hospital, and it is the only painting in that building.” Aileen also has a poignant piece titled Gate to Heaven hanging in the museum of heritage house in Abbeyleix. This piece depicts a small triangular burial ground where around 2,000 unnamed men, women and children were buried in unmarked graves from the old Abbeyleix workhouse. The site was brought to light by the late Martin Fennelly, whose family purchased the piece and donated it to heritage house, as was reported in this newspaper in April 2024.

Aileen said that she will soon be announcing a sale of her works from her studio to make space for herself to continue with her creativity. She will announce this on her Facebook and Instagram pages in the coming weeks. Aileen is also looking into teaching art to children with special needs. The talented artist will have some artworks exhibited during May/June/July in the new and highly rated T Junction Restaurant in Waterford city.