Launch of ‘Offbeat Orbit’ - 'a twist on human instinct to create'
Patricia Gibney is someone Rachel-Marie Cleary has always looked up to when it comes to art and writing, and that is why she invited her to perform the official opening of her exhibition, Offbeat Orbit, at the Atrium on Tuesday evening.
“Patricia started off doing art before settling in to writing, and I have an interest in both areas, so it was nice to hear some encouraging words and feedback from someone whose path is similar to mine,” Rachel told the Westmeath Examiner.
“It gives you more of a push to pursue a career you love when hearing someone you admire talk about your work with an interest and an expert eye.”
Addressing the gathering at the launch event, Patricia (who is also a relation of Rachel-Marie) said that multi-disciplinary artists are admirable: “I’ve tried to continue painting when I’m doing my writing but I’m not able to multi-task any more, so it’s really brilliant what you’re doing,” she said.
“Rachel-Marie says herself that a few of the many ingredients that make her a person, before being an artist, are balance, curiosity and the ability to turn negativity into comfort and peace, and that perspective gives her a greater understanding of herself, and her ability to reach out to others via her art and creativity.”
Patricia said that for an artist or a writer, the ultimate goal is “to be able to touch others with your work, because being creative, for the most part, means working in isolation, alone with your thoughts and your paintbrush and your laptop – and being able to reach out to others via the medium of your work brings you a rewarding sort of pleasure and a sense of belonging”.
‘Offbeat Orbit’ is, Rachel-Marie said, “an untraditional twist on the human instinct to create”.
It’s made up of multi-medium art pieces ranging from acrylic paintings and drawings to collage work and poetry.
“The theme is owning your femininity and it carries that through with a pop art theme inspired by Andy Warhol and Jean Michel Basquiat,” said Rachel-Marie.
“I have Irish mythology paintings inspired by Manchán Magan and Blindboy’s talks on the females who made Ireland.
“Two years worth of style development went in to the paintings on display, and, with the help of the staff from the Westmeath Arts Office, I was able to turn a vision into reality and share a splash of colour with Mullingar.”
At the launch, Patricia Gibney said she, like Rachel-Marie, is often asked where her inspiration comes from. She said: “I know that most of what we do as creative beings comes down to dedicated, hard work that’s based on a flash of inspiration.
“For me, my inspiration comes from the world around me, and that’s true for most artists, and Rachel-Marie says that her inspiration comes from the women in her life, her friends and family, as well as the women of Irish mythology.
“In a recent interview, she said that a lot of her art comes from a place of self love, and that is evident in her paintings, of the female forms in positions of power; her work features the strong female figures from Irish mythology, and she presents the feminine perspective on that mythology.”
“The name of the exhibition is Offbeat Orbit... it’s a contemporary pop art collection that features collage, poetry, prints, canvases paintings and drawings and they all relate back to female Irish mythology, which links in to the modern Irish woman.
“You can see here tonight what an extraordinary talent Rachel-Marie is, and it’s a pleasure for me to formally open Offbeat Orbit.”
In her remarks, Rachel-Marie thanked everyone for taking time out to attend; Colourtrend in Mullingar for sponsoring the paint for the exhibition and Nixon Flowers for supplying display pieces for the event.
She said Mullingar has a lot of talented artists, musicians, writers and photographers and coming to events like this helps people achieve things in their careers they could only dream of.
• Offbeat Orbit is on display at the Atrium until May 12 during business hours.