Sheila Mac Nally has just launched her most recent exhibition

A Wexford based artists has while she loves living and working in the Model County, “we don’t really have an exhibition space” and that is one of the biggest frustrations.

Sheila Mac Nally, who is Director of the Gorey Art Collective, a non-profit artist group established to support the local art community by providing an affordable creative space, was speaking after launching her most recent exhibition Presence in Wexford town.

“All the pieces are actually made directly from life. They’re either plein-air paintings, which is painting outdoors on location, or still life paintings directly from the subject,” Sheila said.

“So none of it is using a photograph. I’m actually there experiencing it and reacting to whatever the lighting and weather situation is.

“So it’s very much about being present with your subject but also present in your art, in your focus and it’s a very mindful practice.”

She explained that there is a huge plein-air scene in Wexford now, and that she facilitates a group of 120 artists from across the South East who go out in all weathers.

“It’s my first solo exhibition so I had a lot of pieces stored up and it was a case of going through and kind of making groupings of what would sit well together and whittling it down.”

The venue she selected for the exhibition was Spectrum Art & Farming in Wexford town, where she would be a regular customer. It was opened by Tony Robinson.

“They’re very welcoming to local artists and so they would have group exhibitions as well as solo shows.

“It just took a little bit of a push from Liz that works in there to me to actually book in for one for myself this time.”

Sheila, a person who is well travelled and has taken her paints all around the world with her, indicated that she very much enjoys living and working in Wexford, but that regional based artists do face challenges, which are perhaps not as severe in the major cities.

“Where we would kind of fall down is we don’t really have an exhibition space, so we exhibit in the library where we can, but you’re limited as to the subject matter obviously has to be appropriate for children and anybody with delicate sensibilities.

“We’re hoping that the new market house in Gorey might have an exhibition space that would be more suitable for a more variety of artwork.”