Dhá Dhual na Tírdhreacha - Two Threads to a Landscape
Dhá Dhual na Tírdhreacha
Peadar McDaid
Is as Leitir Ceanainn do Pheadar atá ag cruthú obair ealaíne le corradh agus 30 bliain. D’fhág sé an scoil go luath agus tá sé féinfhoghlamtha, rud atá de ghnáth go maith d’aon ealaíontóir atá ag iarraidh a dteanga físe féin a fhorbairt. Chuir sé tús lena chleachtas ealaíne mar dhearthóir grafaicí a chuir é i dtreo ‘ealaín cheilteach’ – cosúil le Jim Fitzpatrick. Siocair go raibh croí mhór mhaith aige, nuair a chonaic sé bearna fíor sa tsoláthar sláinte, thosaigh Peadar ag bunú áis ‘Create-a-link’ i Leitir Ceanainn. Cuireann an clár ealaíne iontach seo a bhfuil sé a bhainistiú ar fáil spásanna, teagasc ealaíne agus tacaíocht do dhaoine atá ag fáil bhisigh ó thinneas meabhairshláinte. Faigheann sé seo tacaíocht agus maoiniú ón FSS. Sna chéad bhlianta den togra seo, bhí Peadar ábalta freastal ar an choláiste réigiúnach i Léim an Mhadaidh agus staidéar a dhéanamh ar ealaín ar feadh roinnt blianta..
Sa bhliain 2017, chuaigh Peadar i mbun siúil ocht lá thart ar an chontae uilig ar mhaithe le haird a tharraingt ar sholáthar meabhairshláinte laistigh de Dhún na nGall – agus is cosúil gur tharla miorúilt bheag! Chuir an siúl 241 ciliméadar seo ar chumas Pheadar am a ghlacadh le hamharc ‘ar’ an tírdhreach, le hamharc ar i ndáiríre, agus bhí tionchar domhain ag seo ar a chuid oibre.
Tá á ealáin líofa, deimhneach agus solabhartha. Ní bhíonn Peadar ag dréim le léiriú réalaíoch a thabhairt siocair go bhfuil á chuid tírdhreacha fá dtaobh den ‘bhunbhrí’ – tá siad fá dtaobh d’imchochlú a chuartaíonn fíor-chroí na háite. Dá bhrí sin, tá á chleachtas bunaithe ar bhreathnú, ar ionsú agus ar léirléamh. Ansin, oibrítear an comhshamhlú seo ar á chuid dromchlaí de réir mar a théann an t-ealaíontóir ar aghaidh lena aistear ar an phéint. Ní hiontas ar bith é go bhfuair Peadar McDaid an Duais Derek Hill ó Ghailearaí an Ghlaidhb anuraidh.
Karol Mac Gairbheith
Tháinig Karol ar ais go dtí á áit dhúchais i nDún na nGall sa bhliain 2014. Roimhe sin chónaigh sé i Londain agus bhí sé ag obair ansin mar ailtire. Spreag an t-athrú seo mórán deiseanna iontacha do Karol nuair a phill sé abhaile. Roimh i bhfad bhí sé mar pháirt de thogra ‘Create-a-link’ i Leitir Ceanainn agus thosaigh sé ar an chosán chuig á phaisean fíor – sé sin an ealaín, faoi choimirce lámh chuidithe Peadar McDaid. Bhí sé soiléir ón tús go raibh éirim ó dhúchas ag Karol agus, cosúil le Peadar thuas, go bhfuil sé go bunúsach féinfhoghlamtha. De bhrí go bhfuil súile léirthuisceana an imirceach fillte aige, ghabh Karol chuige tírdhreach á bhaile féin i nGaoth Dobhair. Péinteálann Karol tírdhreacha tuaithe agus ceantair uirbeacha araon siocair go bhfuil taithí agus fiúntas aige don dá chineál; tá sé lonnaithe i nDún na nGall ach bíonn sé ag taisteal ar mhaithe lena dhúil cathrach a shásamh.
Déanann á shaothair tuathe taiscéaladh ar sholas an iarthair, ar an talamh garbh agus na tithe agus struchtúir atá ansin. Curtha le hais a chéile, tá á shaothair cathrach creathach, gnóthach agus faoi dhaonra. Ghlac Karol chuige féin an dúshlán d’éagsúlacht meáin - ola, uiscedhath, colláis agus líníocht agus tugann á úsáid de na meáin dhifriúla seo réimse torthaí. Tá á ealaíona ola láidir daingean, tá na huiscedhathanna éadom ach ag an am céanna tá siad beoga, tá á chuid líníochta bríomhar agus déanta le marcanna troma láidir agus coimeádann na colláisí le chéile go hiontach maith le marcanna fuinniúla.
Is mór an pléisiúr é a bheith ag coimeád ar fhorbairt chleachtas cruthaitheachta gairmiúil Karol agus é ag taiscéaladh agus ag tástáil á theanga físe féin. Tá sé torthúil, ocrach agus go hiomlán tiomanta agus tíolactha dá fhíor-ghairm.
Two Threads to a Landscape
Peadar McDaid
Peadar hails from Letterkenny and has been making artwork for over 30 years. He left school early and is self-taught which are usually good credentials for any artist wishing to develop their own visual language. His artistic practice began as graphic designer which led into ‘celtic art’ think Jim Fitzpatrick. Having a big heart and seeing a genuine gap in health provision Peadar set about establishing the Create-a-link facility in Letterkenny. This is amazing art programme that he manages provides spaces, art tuition and support for people recovering from mental health illnesses and is supported and funded by the HSE. In the early years of this project Peadar also managed to attended Limivady to study art for a number of years.
In 2017 Peadar undertook an eight day walk all around the county to highlight mental health provision within Donegal – and it seems a little miracle happened! This 241 kilometre walk allowed Peadar the time to look ‘at’ the landscape, to really look and it has had a profound impact on his work.
His art is fluid, confident and eloquent. Peadar does not strive for a realistic representation as his landscapes are about ‘essence’ – they are about encapsulations that search for the very core of a place. His practice therefore is based on observation, absorption and interpretation. These visual assimilations are then worked through on his surfaces as the artist journeys with the paint. It is no surprise then that Peadar McDaid was the recipient of The Derek Hill Award from The Glebe Gallery last year.
Karol Mac Gairbheith
Karol returned to his native Donegal in 2014 from living London and working in the field of architecture. This move allowed all sorts of wonderful opportunities to emerge for Karol on his return. He quickly became part of the Create-a-link project in Letterkenny and embarked on a path to his true passion – that of art, all under the supportive wing of Peadar McDaid. It was clear from the outset that Karol had an innate talent and, again like Peadar above, is essentially self taught. With the appreciative eyes of the returning emigrant Karol embraced the landscape of his home in Gaoth Dobhair. Karol paints both rural and urban landscapes for he has experience and value for both; he is Donegal based and travels to quench his city appetite.
His rural works explore the western light, the rugged land and dwellings and structures therein. In juxtaposition his urban artworks are vibrant, busy and populated. Karol has embraced the challenge of a variety of mediums - oil, watercolour, collage and drawing and his employment of these differing mediums yield a range of results. His oils are strong and determined, the watercolours are delicate yet still vibrant, his drawings are energetic made with bold robust marks and the collages hold really well together with vigorous marks. He connects with ethos of the ‘School of London’ painters as having a deep influence on his value for painting.
It a pleasure to watch the development of Karol’s professional creative practice as he explores and tests his own visual language. He is prolific, hungry and utterly committed and dedicated to his true calling.