How did you come to art?
Heather Douglas – How did I come to art? I think art has just always been part of my life. It’s just something that’s in me, I have always been driven to create, to draw or to paint. At school I was always top of my art class. Now, I had never had the opportunity to go to university or anything like that .I did textile courses years ago, City and Guilds fashion courses. I got involved in community arts and have been a facilitator for 20yrs .
I came back to painting about 5years ago after seeing Louise Fletcher’s course, “Find Your Joy” which led me to CVP (Creative Visionary Programme). I’d seen that course but I wasn’t sure about it, but I did it, and love it. It was through CVP that I met the others in The Irish Palette.
At the minute I paint abstractly, colour and texture is crucial for me. I just really like getting into the paint, the thickness of it, moving it around. I really love to simply let myself go with a flow and just get into it, get into creating whatever is inside me .
Bridgeen Butler – Art was one of my favourite subjects going through school but once I left school I really didn’t have a lot of time to devote to it.
It wasn’t until I received a medical diagnosis which meant I had to retire early and that meant I had some time to get back into art. It started off as a hobby and now it has turned into an obsession. I find art extremely therapeutic. I find I go into my own bubble and forget about any stresses or worries I might have.
In terms of the style of my own particular work, I am trying everything. Because I am coming late to the party I am painting landscapes, seascapes, figurative work in whimsical, abstract and realistic styles. I am trying to find my niche, but perhaps that niche might be that I just continue to paint many themes in many styles. I am thoroughly enjoying this experience, especially getting to exhibit my work.
Norma Slack – My route into art was very different from the others so far in that I never saw myself as creative when I was younger or throughout school. I didn’t do anything like art or painting and when I left school I went into the caring professions. I was a nurse, then a midwife and then I worked in the charity sector, providing support to families with young children
It was only when there was a crisis in my life, I lost a brother very suddenly and this had a huge impact on my family. It impacted everyone, it impacted my parents’ health and I ended up having to give up work to look after them.
I was trying to find something that would give me some peace of mind, because I was completely overwhelmed. I started out in nature, using photography, and I did that for a few years and then I went into Digital Art. I sold a few pieces of my work in Art Fairs, places like that.
I really only did the CVP course to try and get help with working out how to make my work, my images, look better because it was teaching you, contrast and composition and I thought I could use that for my digital art. Then once I started painting I just fell completely in love with it.
I still love being out in nature in the landscapes of my childhood, the places that give me peace of mind, doing my photography, but I have moved into mixed media and I use my work to encourage people to find time for themselves, to get out into nature and take care of their mental health and emotional well-being.
Senga Sharkey – I have always loved art. My earliest memories are of painting and drawing and making things. I went to Art College straight after I left school. After I finished, I did lots of jobs, I worked in the arts sector, the voluntary arts sector, when I moved over to London, and while life took me through other jobs eventually I became a Primary School Teacher because one of my other passions is teaching, particularly working with people, both adults and kids.
I was always looking at ways of using the arts to teach students, so while I wasn’t painting for myself very much I was looking to encourage people to learn by applying the arts to different subjects. I was, I think, channelling my creativity into encouraging others to get into art and painting. I used to think if I could teach Maths through art I would find a way to do that.
As my daughter got older I found that I had some time to myself and I did Louise Fletcher’s course eventually. I did a couple of her courses and through her I found CVP. I did that course in 2021, which was during Lockdown. It was a beautiful spring and summer and I spent time outside painting, and I just fell in love with painting again. It reignited my passion for painting.
Since then I have officially retired two years ago and that has been the best thing that has happened, because it means I have lots of time to paint. I can paint full time now, so the future looks really bright. I am really motivated all the time, and we have the outlet of the exhibitions through The Irish Palette which means there are plenty of places to show my work.
I get lots of inspiration from the landscape in Fermanagh where I live, which is quite hilly with blanket bogs. I am also looking at my family heritage as well at the moment. I do use abstraction and sometimes semi-abstraction when I explore emotion. I look at the theme of transience and I use acrylics and collage.
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