Vibrant paintings are inspired by Laois artist's connection with nature
Artist Aishling Hennessy (second from left) pictured with her dad Fintan, daughter Mia, grandmother Anna, nephew Charlie, sister Dawn, mother Mary and aunt Mary at the launch in Bloom HQ Photos: Stan Henderson
A VIBRANT digital art exhibition was launched in The Gallery of Divine Inspiration at Bloom HQ in Mountrath recently. ‘Ether’ by Laois artist Aishling Hennessy includes 20 captivating pieces, which will remain on show until the end of November.
Aishling is a painter and digital artist from Shaen and has worked extensively over the past decade to hone her unique style of artistry. Her love for vibrant hues with an earth-based infusion of energy has allowed her work to be appreciated both locally and internationally.
Aishling is a full-time secondary school art and special education teacher in St Mary’s CBS, Portlaoise. Her love of spreading the joy of creativity has allowed her to continue to teach art to younger children in her art studio, which she calls Sequoia Spacio, where she creates commissions for private clients and maintains her own visual art practice.
The talented artist told the ***Laois Nationalist*** that she began creating digital-earth art in 2014 with a photojournalistic approach in an attempt to document moments in nature and in her life.
She said: “My grandmother Anna Hennessy has 20 acres of woods in Straboe and a lot of my inspiration comes from photographs that I took there. My daughter Mia and I spent a lot of time there over the last ten years, hanging out and having picnics.
“The images became inspiration for paintings and allow for colour overlay of blended hues layered onto the natural world. Each image became a visual diary entry of a time and place, which then became a nice collection of earth-based abstract landscapes.
"Ether is without the firmness of earth, the coolness of water, the heat of fire, or even the movement of wind. It is therefore the very essence of emptiness. The space element is the most subtle of all elements.” At the launch, Aishling spoke about her latest exhibition and thanked everyone for attending. She also thanked her family for their support, the Brigidine nuns, Bloom HQ, curator Kevin McCann and the ***Laois Nationalist*** for highlighting her work, and the work of many local artists over the years.
Anna Hennessy told the gathering that from the time Aishling was a young child “all she needed was a sheet of paper to paint on”.
She said: “She even painted on the stones outside! She never stopped painting. In 1993, we sowed 20 acres of trees in Straboe. Aishling nearly lived there and she watched those trees grow over the years. She was always painting different views of them.” Commenting on Aishling’s exhibition, curator Kevin McCann said: “Aishling is one of the most prolific artists that I have ever met, especially in Co Laois. She is always at something. If she’s not teaching art she’s painting or creating her digital works. You have to admire her because through thick or thin she kept it up the whole way. She’s a real artist.” The exhibition is on show in the bright corridors of the busy Mountrath community hub until the end of November. All of the exhibition works are framed limited-edition prints and are available online at www.aishlinghennessy.com. The well-known artist can be found on her social media pages.
