News

june 2020

interview with cork evening echo

Recently done an interview with Colette Sheridan from the Evening Echo about my work, style of painting, influences and lots more and was delighted with the feature and had a great reaction to it. The interview is also available online at Echo Live hope you enjoy.

​SEPTEMBER 2019

​THE ROYAL WEST OF ENGLAND ACADEMY 167TH ANNUAL EXHIBITION

Pleased to announce that two of my paintings have been selected for the Royal West of England Academy 167th Annual Open Exhibition in Bristol which will open on the 29th of September 2019 and run until the 1st of December 2019.

33 Acrylic on canvas 50x60cm

Caution Acrylic on canvas 50x60cm

​OCTOBER 2019

​THE 138TH RUA ANNUAL EXHIBITION

Delighted to announce that my painting Tagged has been selected for the 138th RUA Annual Exhibition which will open on the 18th of October 2019 and run until the 5th of January 2020 at the Ulster Museum.

Tagged Acrylic on canvas 50x60cm

​MARCH 2019

​​​THE CHIMERA GALLERY - NEW WORK

​A selection of my most recent paintings are currently on show at the The Chimera Gallery . Paintings 'Looking Back', 'Through the Frame', 'Yield' and 'WIP' are just some of the works included and I'm delighted to share the walls with some of the other amazing gallery artists of The Chimera Gallery.

​DECEMBER 2018

WINTER SALON - BACKWATER ARTISTS GROUP

I will have three small paintings included in the Backwater Artists Group fundraising exhibition which will take place at Studio 12, 1st Floor, Backwater Artist Group, Wandesford Quay, Cork. Opening Thursday 13th December at 6pm and running until Friday 21st December.
Winter Salon is not only a unique fundraising event, it is also a rare opportunity for you to own works of art from new and well established artists for between €50-€150, a great way to start your own art collection and it will also be a fun night out.

Going Up Acrylic on paper 24x21cm 2018

Block A Acrylic on paper 24x21cm 2018

Reflection 1 Acrylic on paper 23x25cm 2018

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​AUGUST 2018

​THE CHIMERA GALLERY - SUMMER EXHIBITION

Pleased to announce that a selection of my paintings are currently featured in the The Chimera Gallery Summer Exhibition 2018 exhibition which will continue throughout August 2018. Paintings '33',  'Tagged', 'Blurred Lines' and 'Another Vision' are just some of the work included and I'm delighted to share the walls with some of the other amazing gallery artists of The Chimera Gallery.

33 50x60cm Acrylic on canvas

Tagged 50x60cm Acrylic on camvas

Blurred Lines 60x50cm Acrylic on canvas

Another Vision 60x50cm Acrylic on canvas

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June 2018

THE MODEL PRESENTS CAIRDE VISUAL 2018

Delighted to announce that two of my paintings have been selected for the The Model Presents Cairde Visual 2018 exhibition which will open on the 11th of July at 6pm and run until the 19th of August 2018. Both 'Fuel' and 'Caution' were selected for inclusion in this years show which is Cairde Sligo Arts Festival's fifth annual open submission show.

Fuel Acrylic on canvas 50x60cm

Caution Acrylic on canvas 50x60cm

MAY 2018

​THE 188th RHA Annual Exhibition

Pleased to announce that my painting Open Windows has been selected for the 188th RHA Annual Exhibition which will open on the 21st of May and run until the 11 of August 2018.

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FEBRUARY 2017

​VIDEOS - CULTUREFOX - INTERVIEW

Culturefox.ie joined us for Asylum Archive & Ray of Light Opening Night to talk to Gary Kearney Art about his current solo exhibition 'Ray of Light'- check out his introduction to this series of cityscapes which are now on view in our Front of House exhibition space until April 8th.

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​FEBRUARY 2017

Ray Of Light
Thur 9th Feb – Sat 8th April 2017, 7pm
Garter Lane Arts Centre is delighted to present Ray of Light, an exhibition of cityscapes by Gary Kearney. Kearney’s work examines aspects of the city and urban dwelling- its architecture and how the city space is shaped as vast amounts of information are processed and infinitely altered through our obsession with construction and progression. His work presents a stark vision of the urban environment and of modern society, where humans are absent and yet traces of their presence and impact are felt throughout his work.
Born in Tipperary and based in Cork City, Kearney graduated from the Crawford College of Art & Design in 2005. His work reflects his interest in architecture, perspective and natural lighting and explores how these impact our connection to the urban environment. His work has been exhibited throughout Ireland, including a recent solo show at the Linenhall Arts Centre in Co. Mayo and group shows in the Wandesford Quay Gallery in Cork and the Source Arts Centre in Co. Tipperary. His work is represented in public collections such as the Crawford Municipal Art Gallery and the Office of Public Works.
Ray of Light opens in Garter Lane Arts Centre Front of House Exhibition space, Waterford, on Thursday February 9th 2017 at 7pm. Exhibition continues until Saturday April 8th 2017. Opening hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 11am- 5.30pm and during evening performances. Admission is free and all are welcome.
Exhibition tours programme for primary, post primary and third level students are available. Bookings: gallery@garterlane.ie
Admission Free
garykearneyart.com
www.garterlane.ie
Garter Lane Arts Centre, O’Connell Street, Waterford

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March 2016

Two of the paintings I have included in the Backwater DRAW 2016 fundraising Exhibition. Tickets for the event can be bought for €50 at www.backwaterartists.ie. Everyone who buys a ticket will receive a piece of art.

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September 2014

Signal Arts Centre
presents
'The Light of Day' 
Exhibition by Gary Kearney
Opening reception Thursday 18th September 7- 9pm.
 Tuesday 16th September - Sunday 28th September

Gary Kearney's work reflects his interest in architecture, perspective and natural lighting and explores how these change our emotional connection to our city. “The city appeals to me because it contains vast amounts of information infinitly being altered through the effects of weather conditions and man’s constant obsession with construction and progression. The environment changes our emotions towards the way we look at certain aspects of our lives and surroundings. I try to capture these emotions and encase them within my paintings.” Born in Tipperary and based in Cork, Gary graduated from the Crawford College of Art & Design in 2005. His work has been exhibited throughout Ireland including most recently a solo show at the Sirius Arts Centre in Cork and group shows in the Wandesford Quay Gallery in Cork and the Source Arts Centre in Tipperary. Gary is a member of Backwater Artists Group in Cork.
Adm. free
Official opening Thursday 18th September 7-9pm.
All welcome.
garykearneyart.com    signalartscentre.ie

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January 2014

LINENHALL ARTS CENTRE - GARY KEARNEY

THROUGH LIGHT
GARY KEARNEY VISUAL ART: GALLERY 

Friday 17th January - Saturday 15th February

Gary Kearney's work reflects his interest in architecture, perspective and natural lighting and explores how these change our emotional connection to our city. “The city appeals to me because it contains vast amounts of information infinitly being altered through the effects of weather conditions and man’s constant obsession with construction and progression. The environment changes our emotions towards the way we look at certain aspects of our lives and surroundings. I try to capture these emotions and encase them within my paintings.” Born in Tipperary and based in Cork, Gary graduated from the Crawford College of Art & Design in 2005. His work has been exhibited throughout Ireland including most recently a solo show at the Sirius Arts Centre in Cork and group shows in the Wandesford Quay Gallery in Cork and the Source Arts Centre in Tipperary. Gary is a member of Backwater Artists Group in Cork.

Adm. free

Official opening on Friday 17th January at 7.30pm. All welcome.

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KEN ARMSTRONG WRITING STUFF...
From the Eye to the Brain (and the Words in Between)

(I was asked to open an Exhibition of the work of artist Gary Kearney on Friday evening in The Linenhall Arts Centre here in Castlebar. This is a rough transcript of what I mumbled on about. 


The exhibition runs until 15th February 2014 and is well worth a visit.)

I am delighted to be allowed to open this wonderful exhibition of paintings by Gary Kearney. Mostly because I like the work so very much.

When I was asked to open the exhibition, I immediately asked myself that key question. What qualifies me? By what right can I come here and speak words about this Art? I had my answer really quickly. I’m not qualified. I have no right to speak, no right at all. Having figured that out, I came to another conclusion. I’m not qualified but that’s fine because neither is anyone else.

To my mind, Visual Art is just that. It’s exactly what it says on the tin. Visual Art. It hits us in our eyes. It ‘assails’ us via our retinas, and travels from there deep down into the visual cortex of our brains. There are absolutely no words in the equation. Art – Eye – Brain. There’s no words. 

Personally, I think the use of words to capture the essence of visual art is like trying to convey the touch of a rose petal on your cheek via the medium of professional mud wrestling.

But it’s a thing we do. It’s a thing we all do.

We go and see an exhibition with a mate and we talk about what we see, we analyse it, we give our own humble opinions on it. It’s a good thing to do, I think. So long as we realise it’s not the only thing. It’s not even the main event. The main event is the Art. You, your eye and your brain and what happens between one end of that equation and the other.

I’m not trying to be pedantic. I love talking about visual art as much as the next person but I find talking about it, sometimes, makes me feel inadequate… insufficient. I get to feel that I don’t have the words, I just don’t have the vocabulary to do justice to what I am seeing. So it can turn into a bit of a negative thing for me, if I don’t watch out. But, so long as I do watch out, then I think I’ll be okay. So, with that heftyest of disclaimers, here’s what I think of Gary’s work… in words.

I think it’s wonderful. I think Gary rewards us for stepping in really close to his work, where we actually see the building blocks of his Art, as well as all the little details that you just can’t see from far away and then, when you move back, the ‘coming together’ of the work into a thing of enormous depth and clarity. It’s almost like Gary was gifted with really long arms and that he painted his pictures from out here somewhere. I predict that people will be stepping in and out the gallery all month, like a dance.

I work in the business of Architecture so I suppose I've looked at the built environment more that most people have.  I think we sometimes forget that there is beauty there, in the Built Environment. We’re almost preconditioned to believe that our hearts can only be raised by a vista of some naturally formed landscape or, if that’s not available, of some ancient building made venerable by virtue of its great old age. But it ain’t necessarily so. There is beauty in the urban world. And even if you don’t agree with me on the word ‘Beauty’, there is undoubtedly form and structure and content and colour and texture and lots of other great things, particularly if you look up. 

Our old Art Teacher up in Sligo, he used to say, "Look up, Armstrong, you Low-Type, look Up." 

He was right. There’s such great revelations to be had in our towns and cities, if we only look up. It’s the different view, you see. We tend to trudge back and forth between the Banklink Machine and the Butcher’s shop and we don’t always see what is around us. 

That’s what Gary is doing, for me anyway. He’s seeing for me. He’s reminding me of the world on our doorsteps, the one we ignore the most. And the shapes he captures are lovely, the colours, the shadows, the reflections. And we recognise the subject, we know it, but many of us haven’t really seen it, not really.

As I was saying, these are my words and they are well meant but they don’t mean very much. What means something is what happens when you look at the Art. I’ll talk about it, of course, happily, but I’ll also to take at least one moment without feeling the need to put words on what it makes me feel. I’ll just… see. 

And I think there is sometimes a clue available to tell you if you are successfully bypassing the words and getting right down to the truth of the visual art you are looking at. And that clue is called Memory. I think sometimes, when you’re looking at pictures, memories turn up out of nowhere and I think they are our raw emotions… kinda dressed up in a posh frock. 

I was looking at these paintings earlier today, thinking about what the hell I might say, and a little memory came to me. Something I hadn’t thought of in over thirty five years. It doesn’t make much sense but I’ll share it with you very briefly. 

When I was in primary school, in St John’s in Sligo, and I was only small, we used to get brought down to the Cathedral for Mass. This was pretty grand for me because I was used to St Anne’s church which was - and still is - a much simpler establishment. Anyway at these masses, crammed into the pew, I used to be bored senseless… 

Until one day, I looked up. The arches of the roof over Sligo Cathedral sit on these Granite pedestals high above the ground and I suddenly realised that these pedestals looked exactly like giant robot heads. It was uncanny. There was a row of them up this side and a row of them up the other side and, in my head, these robot pedestals would do battle with each other by firing laser beams at each other from out of their solid granite eyes across the span of the church. One side had green lasers and the other side had red lasers… and this was way before Star Wars came along. It’s a silly memory but I was reminded of it by my time with the art on these walls. What it actually means, what my subconscious might have been trying to tell me, well, I suppose that’s for me to work out. 


I am proud to open Gary’s exhibition. I work pretty much next door and I often come in here to hide when things get rough. Just like John Major allegedly used to do in the toilet. For the next month or so, I know that my hiding will be informed and coloured and challenged by Gary’s fabulous paintings and I look forward to spending quite a bit of time hiding in here with his work. 

I wish Gary’s Art a wonderful time at the Linenhall. It is in the safe hands of the very best of people here. And so, with much pleasure, I declare his exhibition open.

Posted by Ken Armstrong at 11:57 Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest

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june 2013

Talking DAYLIGHT ON KCLR96FM with Niamh Moroney by The Arts Show
 on June 19, 2013 

Niamh Moroney is the current curator of the Upstairs Gallery at Kilkenny’s Watergate Theatre. Daylight, is the latest exhibition at the gallery, opening this week and running until mid July, featuring the work of Tipperary native Gary Kearney. 
Take a listen to the conversation with Niamh on this week’s Arts Show to find out more about Gary’s work, along with the Kilkenny Town Arts Social, taking place Wednesday 19 June.

• play
• stop
• mute

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april 2013

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december 2013

"DUPLEX"
ROBIN DALY - GARY KEARNEY
South Tipperary Arts Centre
15th November - 27th December

All are cordially invited to the opening of our new exhibition " Duplex" by Gary Kearney and Robin Daly. 
Hope to see you all on Friday, 15th November at 7pm sharp, here in the South Tipperary Arts Centre.

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july 2012

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september 2011

SIRIUS ARTS CENTRE
Cobh, County Cork
Presents
In the West Gallery
 
REFLECTIONS
An exhibition of paintings by
Gary Kearney

Poles Apart by Gary Kearney acrylic on canvas 2010
 
Opening Thursday 15th September at 7pm - all welcome
**Artists Talk Culture Night Friday 23rd September at 8.00pm**
Exhibition runs until October 9th
Gary Kearney gathers a large body of photographic images comprised of architecture, perspective and natural lighting as source material for his paintings. Kearney's starkly modernist style is intriguing in that it offers a perspective of Cork City, which is at once banal and poetic.
 
'Through my work I am attempting to portray various aspects of the city.'
 
As part of the Sirius Arts Centres policy to support emerging artists Gary Kearney, who is based at the Backwater Artists Studios in Cork will exhibit a series of cityscape paintings. Gary will also give a talk on his work on CULTURE NIGHT 23 September at 8:00pm - Admission FREE

Gallery hours: Wednesday - Friday 11am - 5pm / Saturday & Sunday 2pm - 5pm / Monday and Tuesday closed / extra opening Culture Night Friday 23rd of September 6-10pm
 
For more information: www.siriusartscentre.ie   Email : cobharts@iol.ie  Telephone (021) 481 3790

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Backwater Twenty – 10 Publication
The Backwater Twenty-10 publication can be viewed/purchased at blurb.com

This publication brings together the work of over 120 artists who have passed through Backwater Studios over its 20-year history. It is by no means a complete compendium, but rather a snapshot of the breathtaking diversity and depth of creativity from within the Backwater Artists’ Group and the visual arts in Cork city. It serves as a testament to how an artist-led group within the city has been able to support a myriad of artistic endeavours, working towards personal and shared goals over the years. The publication is a celebration of the creative journey of all members of the Backwater Artists’ Group – past and present.

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november 2011

GARY KEARNEY Untitled Acrylic on canvas 2010 Featured in Backwater Twenty – 10 Publication

PASSERBY one of the two paintings featured in PLACE SPACE IN 2011.

GOING UNDERGROUND one of the two paintings featured in PLACE SPACE IN 2011.

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september 2010