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Liam O'Neill and John Coll, 2-Man Show
Liam O'Neill
Born in Corca Dhuibhne, West Kerry in 1954, Liam is self-taught and over the last 20 years has shown at the Royal Hibernian Academy, Oireachtas, National Portrait Exhibition, Claremorris Open and numerous one man shows in Dublin and his native Kerry. This year he exhibited portraits of famous Irish writers and poets in Paris.
The paintings portrayed in this exhibition features aspects of Irish life that are sadly fast disappearing.
The centre-piece of the show ‘Gathering Seaweed Ballydavid’ I feel is a scene which will probably be a thing of the past sometime soon.
Horse trading such as ‘Listening In’, ‘The Young Fool’ and ‘The New Owner’ is on the wane and the Ballinsloe Horse Fair which is probably the main event keeps this great tradition alive and one hopes it will thrive for many years to come. I think Liam attended Balinsloe this year to get some fresh material for the future.
The love affair between man and the sea goes back to the beginning of time and fishing off Dingle has been a way of life for generations. Liam’s own family are part of the folklore and ‘Loading The Mackarel Nets, Ballydavid Pier’ and ‘Hauling In The Mackarel’ are handled so well by O’Neil that you know he has been there.
Most of us remember days in the bog when strength was restored with a can of tea and sandwiches with bread cut so thick it as marathon getting through them. ‘Cutting Turf’, ‘The Load Of Turf’ and ‘Coming From The Bog’ remind us of those carefree days of long ago.
Liam conjures up the excitement of the turf and ‘The Finish’ is a fine example with ‘Neck and Neck’ thrown in for good measure. Liam lost €50 before he was allowed to make a sketch for ‘Find The Lady’.
The sheer strength of the horses is amply displayed in ‘Ploughman And His Team’ a rare sight in this fast changing world.
A portrait of ‘Samuel Beckett’ displays O’Neill’s talent in this respect whilst ‘Enjoying The Craic’, ‘Pastures New’, ‘Haymaking Near The Old Place’ and ‘Hillfarmer And His Flock’ complete another fine exhibition by this highly talented yet delightfully modest Kerryman.
Liam has been invited to have an exhibition with the Portland Gallery in London and added to that Manhattan may be calling as well.
Richly deserved, congratulations Liam on a wonderful exhibition.
Pat Hopper
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John Coll
John Coll was born in Galway in 1956 and in 2006 celebrated his 50th birthday by having a solo show at The James Gallery. He now returns in a two-man show with Liam O’Neil to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of The James Gallery.
He studied Science in NUI Galway majoring in Marine Biology and qualified with a BSc Hons in Zoology in 1979.
After three years working on a fishfarm, Coll decided to try a career in what had always been his hobby since he was in short pants that is sculpture. He studied at the Regional Technical College Galway for one year and graduated with a diploma in the Visual Arts in 1983.
Since then he has become a well know sculptor of figurative work receiving many prestigious commissions such as the monuments to the writers Patrick Kavanagh and Brendan Behan both in Dublin. It is his portrait work of many writers such as Paul Durkan, John Montague, and Benedict Kiely that has helped raise his profile as a sculptor.
His monumental works include a life size portrait of a racehorse ‘Bobby Jo’ in Mountbellew, Co. Galway and a 4 meter in height bronze and stainless steel sculpture of Countess Markievicz in Rathcormac, Co. Sligo also a 2.5 meter bronze inspired by the Irish Nobel Laureates is sited at Stanford University California, USA.
He has exhibited widely in Europe and the USA where he held a one man show in New York in 1998.
Much of his inspiration for works other than portraiture is inspired by the sea and seashore that he grew up beside in Galway.
His works are in many collections including The Irish Museum of Modern Art, The Bank of Ireland Collection, The National Museum of Ireland and The National Library.
John has some amazing works in this exhibition most notably the unique (Bronze) ‘Swimming Wheel’. ‘The Conductor’ (unique) once again conveys the great versatility of the talented Galwayman.
The fine action study of the late Liam Whealan evokes memories of the great ‘Busby Babes’ and the tragic Munich Air Crash of 1958.
My favourite piece is that of Tom Crean that great Irish seaman and Antarctic Explorer from Annanscaul, Co. Kerry whose endeavours reached herculean heights all those years ago. The very mention of his name all these years later still conjures up the bravery and excitement of those men who with Crean accompanied Captain Scott, and Ernest Shackleton on those memorable treacherous Antarctic expeditions.
I hope I have whetted your appetite by just mentioning some of the fine pieces on view in this exhibition.
Enjoy the show.
Pat Hopper
The James Gallery
November 2008
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