Recently you were part of art exhibition with the artist, Heather Douglas, and the poet, Shelley Tracey.
Yes. Over the years my own practice had virtually disappeared. Family stuff had taken over, along with work. I had a caring role for my partner and my dad and that, along with work, meant I just couldn’t commit to my own arts practise.
I don’t have the same caring responsibilities any longer and I just felt the need to get back into my own work. When I was discussing that with Heather and Shelley, we all felt the same way and we pulled together an exhibition and it worked out really well.
Now I had been in a couple of shows over the years, but I had never felt really very confident, but I think we just encouraged each other and, as I said, I came out with my confidence restored. I felt that my own arts practise has a place in my life again. Heather, another artist Jude and I have been sharing a studio space in Conway Mill and its been great, our own wee collective!
You also won an award just recently. Could you say a little bit about that?
It was the Anna Cheyne Visual Arts Award in January 2026 for a piece called “Skeletal Flowers”. Anna Cheyne was an artist from Northern Ireland and the Island Arts Centre would run an exhibition and someone from the exhibition would be selected to win an award.
The exhibition hadn’t been running for a little while, I think since Covid, and when I heard there was going to be an exhibition I thought I would put my work in and it was selected.
This exhibition, which celebrated the hundredth anniversary of her birth, was pretty special and a lot of important people attended the awards event. I was over the moon about winning one of the awards, there were 5 or 6 awards. There was a monetary element to it as well and because your artwork is purchased. I felt like that award validated the decisions I had made to get back into producing my own work.
So winning the award has had an impact on you?
Definitely. I think that it has and that is reflected in my community arts practise as well. As my confidence grows so I think I am working better as a community arts facilitator as well as feeding into my own creativity.
Do you think there is too little recognition for artists’ work?
I think that there has always been less recognition for artists’ work who base themselves in the community. Part of me doesn’t care…my art practice is totally personal to me, its how I sort through the minutiae of life, good times and bad. I look to create harmony by repeating images, colour tone, texture and transparency both in my artwork and in my own head.
Where to now?
There is an exhibition coming up, and this is for artists who have facilitated in the Spectrum Centre. There are around 15 facilitators who will be part of the exhibition and that will be held in March after St Patrick’s Day, in the Shankill Library, in their Glasshouse Gallery.
One of the good things about this exhibition is that will allow the students to see what kind of work their teachers’ make which is, to me, a great idea, and it is another exhibition where everyone is supporting and encouraging each other which I think is great as well.
I just want to keep making my art and working with community groups and young people. That is what I have loved doing for all these years. That, and hanging out with my dogs!
