About Insta Hashtags.....
Instagram Hashtags for Artists
Have you given any thought to what art hashtags to use on your artist Instagram profile? If you have you probably have a few favorite ones that you use regularly with good results. This is a good thing as hashtags help to categorize your posts and should assist the instagram logarithm (debatable though) in directing your posts to the relevant instagram audiences which brings more visability to you, the artist, and your art. That’s the aim anyway!
By including a mix of popular, niche, and location-based hashtags, you can target specific communities, attract followers interested in your style, and even connect with galleries and art collectors. For artists looking to grow their online presence, utilizing the right hashtags on Instagram is essential.
The instagram advice and general consensus is that you should use about 5 solid appropriate hashtags on each of your instagram posts. For me the instagram hashtags I use regularly include ones like #art #artexhibition #artist #artcollector #loveart and so on. Additionally I use #PIGSY so that I literally point to myself, PIGSY, as a hashtag which creates a unique instagram identity for me, and my art, and encourages followers to engage with my work
#Studiovibes #Wordoftheday
However, there are two other hashtags that I use - one of which I believe was unique to me on instagram (or perhaps I came up with it)) and it seems to have caught on a bit, as I see a lot of other artists use it.
This is the hashtag #Studiovibes which I always hashtag my insta posts, on either my feed or story, if I feature an image of me in my art studio. Simple really but makes a lot of sense.
The other hashtag that I use possibly in a unique manner is the #Wordoftheday hashtag. As an artist with dyslexia, words stick in my head and can bug me unless I get them out. One way to do this is to paint about them and the other way I’ve come up with it is to share them on my Insta Story with the hashtag #Wordoftheday. Now this is a popular hashtag and I#m certainly not claiming I coined it. However, perhaps I am using it in a different manner to others who use it. Either way it’s something I like to do because it does help with my dyslexic mind and it also seems to be something that my Insta followers like and I get a lot of engagement with it when I share a #Wordoftheday.
#Irishabroad
Another hashtag I like to use is #Irishbroad which is a great way to connect and see what the Irish diaspora is getting up to all over the world. It comes in to its own leading up to St Patricks Day but can be used throughout the year at all times to share Irish success stories. As an “Irish Artist Abroad” it’s great to be able to use this hashtag to share what I’m getting up to in the art world here in Spain and beyond. This is a hashtag that is not art specific but in fact is more mainstream and used by a lot of Irish influencers so it is a popular and well used hashtag. If you are Irish, and are abroad, why not give it a go?!
Instagram for Artists & Art Galleries
Do you use Instagram to market your art?
For me using instagram is very effective as an artist or art galleryy. It gives me the opportunity to very quickly release newly created art to my audience in a quick real time way - literally a click of a button at the end of my fingers on my phone and saves me a lot of work because I don’t have to update my website which can be time consuming.
Instagram also allows me to not only introduce my art to a wider audience but also connect with other artists in the creative community. There is no border limits to this and I’ve met some really interesting people on instagram doing awesome work in their respective studios. It’s a way to network, collaborate, market, support and celebrate art all in one.
I’m interested to hear what other artists and Art Galleries think about instagram or what type of art marketing they use it for and what they think the benefits are. Hope to see you on the PIGSY instagram where we can have this conversation!
"Dyslexia Quando Arte", Digital Exhibition
Dyslexia Quando Arte
PIGSY artwork will be presented in Brazil by Domlexia as part of the “Dyslexia Quande Arte” digital exhibition which brings together the work of dyslexic artists from all over the world.
See below for an article in the Brazilian Media which outlines all about the art exhibtion, the artists and the artistic disciplines. It is a very unique exhibition as it brings together artists from all over the world who are dyslexic.
As part of the activities relating to World Dyslexia Day Day (October 10), the 3rd Digital Exhibition Dyslexia Quando Arte opens on the 8th of Oct, at 18:00 in O Sítio in Lagoa da Conceição, in Florianópolis on.the Domlexia platform,
This year, in addition to the works and information about the authors posted on Instagram, there will be face-to-face activities, such as a guided tour of the virtual gallery – a novelty that will provide an immersive experience – and chat with exhibitors and organizers.
A total of 23 artists from Brazil and, for the first time, from abroad (Canada, United States, England, Ireland and Venezuela) will present works of architecture, urban art, visual arts, cinema, dance, design, photography, gastronomy, illustration, literature, fashion, music, poetry and theatre.
Find out more about the artist and follow on instagram by clicking the links here. They are: Anderson Leme (German), Angélica Castro Neuhaus, Bravo Polar, Bruna Fracascio, Elizabeth Arifien & Charlotte Edmonds, Guilherme Villa, Julien Villeneuve, Lese Pierre, Luciene Kumm, Maramgoní, Mari Murial, Marina Miyazaki, Mi Pereira (Agaizer), Monica Mendes, Nathalia Goulart, Paula Gotelip, Pigsy, Roseni Kurányi, Tiago Campos, Tiago Vinícios, Tom McLaughlin, Vania Cáus and Wós Rodrigues
The production is by Nadine Heisler and Antonio Bandeira, with curatorial texts by Oscar D'Ambrosio and translation by Karen Wassmer.
The presentation event will also take place in São Paulo, at Unibes Cultural, in November, and in new locations in 2023.
Virtual Exhibition
The Domlexia Virtual Gallery is available here where you can click on the artworks and videos to see more information.
LCA Homiés Pop Art Exhibition, Marbella, Spain
LCA x Homiés Pop Art Exhibition in Marbella
Homiés Marbella Art House
What: Presenting the LCA Homiés Pop Art Exhibition
When: 1st of June 2022 to 30 Sept 2022
Where: Homiés Marbella Art House Gallery, Calle Ribera, Local 12, Puerto Banus, Marbella, Spain
Art Exhibition Opening Ceremony, Marbella, Spain
Wednesday 1st of June 2022 at 7pm
Homiés Marbella
On June 1 HOMIÉS ART HOUSE opens in the heart of Puerto Banus with Homiés Marbella and La Casa Amarilla Malaga joining forces to merge fashion and art in an incredible space in Marbella.
El 1 de junio se abre HOMIÉS ART HOUSE en pleno corazón de Puerto Banus Homiés Marbella y La Casa Amarilla Malaga se alían para fusionar dos pensamientos: moda urbana y arte en un espacio increíble en Marbella.
“I’ve Given Enough”
My artwork “I’ve Given Enough” has been selected for this pop art exhibition in Marbella.
It’s an intensely vibrant piece of pop art that was created when I was resident artist in the studios of La Casa Amarilla Gallery in Malaga. The art work is an enquiry in to the Spanish tradition of bullfighting and I’ve armed the bull with a gun in his mouth in order to make the fight equal. See the video below which takes an indepth look at “I’ve Given Enough”.
Do call in to Homiés Marbella on Calle Ribera in Puerto Banus to see this art work……..and tell them that PIGSY sent you!
Video Series: Focus on PIGSY Art
PIGSY Art Showcase - Video Series
My Digital Marketing Manager, Enid Bebbington, has started a new PIGSY project. It’s a video series that will focus on some of my artworks. The first video of the series is now live and you can watch it here.
PIGSY Art Video Series
The video series is filmed in Ireland and will broadcast weekly on the Ciaran McCoy Youtube channel.
In this week’s episode the three paintings that are showcased are:
The Extra-Ordinary Crucified for You
Non-Serviam
Mo Laoch (My Hero)
These paintings were all presented at the Saatchi London Art Fair, with “The Extra-Ordinary Crucified for You” and “Mo Laoch” (both now available as a print).
Click here to see the next PIGSY Art Focus video in this new series.
Irish Squash Open 2022 in Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club
Irish Squash Open 2022
Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club
April 16th - April 23rd 2022
No need to adjust your set!! This is still the PIGSY Art Blog. But humor me for a little bit while I digress and write about squash - but there is a reason for the digression…….my art work is featured on the promotional material for this event!
Irish Squash Open 2022
After 2 years the Irish Squash Open 2022 returns in association with Gillen Markets, for a bigger and better tournament.. The prize money has increased to $60,000 combined, for both draws. The top seeds are Emily Withlock of Wales, World Ranked Number 18 & Patrick Rooney of England, World Ranked Number 25, with 18 top 50 players in the world, among the entries in both draws.
There are 4 home players in the Open, Breanne Flynn, Hannah McGugan, Sam Buckley & Sean Conroy, all play on Tuesday.
Breanne Flynn plays Chan Yiwen of Malaysia at 4.30pm on Court 1
Hannah McGugan plays Julianne Courtice at 12 noon on Court 2
Sam Buckley plays Henry Leung at 3.30pm on Court 1
Sean Conroy plays Mahesh Mangaonkar at 5.15pm on Court 1
All matches from Court 1 will be live streamed on Irish Squash TV from Tuesday & Wednesday. PSA Live will broadcast from the quarter finals on Thursday to the finals on Saturday.
Or if you want to watch the squash live, and in person, you can visit Fitzwilliam to enjoy some top quality squash from some of the best players in the world!
Irish Squash Open 2022 poster artwork by PIGSY - see below for details (and less squash talk and more art ramblings!)
Irish Squash Open 2022 poster features PIGSY’s “Squash Soldiers”
As a squash player and lover of the game, I am really proud to have my artwork used for the poster advertising the Irish Squash Open 2022. The painting featured on the poster is “Squash Soldiers” which is a large scale artwork that is on public view in Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club and you can read full details of “Squash Soldiers” on my blog.
Here’s a fun fact about the painting that you might enjoy if you are a squash player! If you look at the painting, you will see faces in the crowd watching a squash game.
Well, guess how I created these “faces in the crowd”?!
So of course I used the frame of a squash racquet as a stencil!
There’s always double meanings (if not even triple meanings) in my paintings. And of course as an artist with dyslexia, my paintings can be described as chaotic (a bit like my squash playing!) or “dyslexic”, with words and text written in a haphazard manner or crossed out. To understand how I paint, you must know that I am continually battling against my “dyslexic brain” and I do this by firstly always starting out with a methodical planning of an artwork to ensure a cohesive finish to it and additionally I base all of my paintings on mathematical equations. This mathematical basis means that although I paint in a loose and fluid manner my marks are always deliberate, and when the painting is finished it has a rigidity and structure, subtle as it is, that can be read or picked up on by the viewer.
More images and information about this large scale artwork can be read on the PIGSY blog or contact me for details (click the above link if you want to see images of the completed piece).
PIGSY Art Video
Watch below to see the “Focus on Art” video featuring Squash Soldiers by PIGSY.
"Gloria" featuring PIGSY: A Slow Lane Gallery and Shoeless Foot Productions Collaboration
“Gloria”
PIGSY'S STUDIO
A Slow Lane Gallery Exhibition in collaboration with Shoeless Foot Productions..
Curated by Dino Notaro
Dino Notaro presents “Gloria”
Gloria is a group show looking at the works of three featured artists with an online exhibition divided into segments.
Segment 1 features a look behind the scenes at me (PIGSY) in my studio.
Just before Christmas 2021 Curator Dino Notaro and Videographer Will Duffy visited me in my studio in Dublin. This is a short video of this visit which is an unfiltered behind the scenes look at how I create my work along with me talking about some of the pieces.
You can see more videos by Shoeless Foot Productions on Youtube. and also Slow Lane Gallery too.
I also wrote a blog and shared photos of the Studio Visit by Dino and Will which you can read about on a past blog.
My studio is currently open for visitors so do contact me if you want to visit!
"I Went to Mass" - PIGSY Solo Exhibition in La Casa Amarilla, Spain
“I Went to Mass” by PIGSY
PIGSY Solo Art Exhibition
La Casa Amarilla Galerie, Calle Santos, Malaga
Date: 27 March until 20 April
Sponsored by San Miguel Beer
PIGSY Spanish Art Exhibition Opening
Photos below are of the opening of the PIGSY solo art show “I Went to Mass” in La Casa Amarilla Gallery on Santos Street in Malaga, Spain, on Saturday 27th of March. The exhibition is running until an extended date of April 20th.
For opening hours and contact details for the LCA gallery, see here.
For more great pics, see here on Facebook
A focus on 3 works by PIGSY
“Non-Serviam”
Size: 1500mm W x 1500mm H Mixed Media on Canvas
This piece deals with the contradiction between the refusal to adhere to society’s rules and the loneliness and helplessness that are a result of this refusal. “Non-Serviam” (I Will Not Serve) is a bold statement of non-compliance and self sufficiency but looking deeper into the piece there is a call for help and the need for a guardian angel to save the artist. With the knowledge that almost every main character in Pigsy’s art is a self-portrait, there is the suggestion that the guardian angel required is his art and there exists a hope of self-salvation through it. Another clear indicator of the confusion caused by this paradox is the use of the word Malaika (an Islamic word for angel) on the angel’s chest, spelled wrong as Malaka (a Greek term for wanker).
“Mo Laoch” (My Hero)
Size: 1500mm W x 1500mm H Mixed Media on Canvas
It is a rarity that a character in a Pigsy piece is not a version of the artist himself but in this piece the figure is that of famous Irish writer James Joyce. The inspiration for this painting came after watching a documentary on Joyce and the realised connection between him and the artist's uncle, also James, whom he never met but who's house he now owns. Was Joyce talking about people like James in his celebrated novel Dubliners.
Could he have been a role model and mentor for Pigsy for he was also a poet and artist. The title "Mo Laoch" is Irish for "My Hero", a reference to the actual feeling for Joyce and the potentially stronger feeling for his uncle that, alas, never existed. Note that Joyce holds the red spelling book, Pigsy's nemesis, an item depicted in many of his works to signify his struggle with dyslexia.
“Cyberpunks”
Size: 1500mm W x 1500mm H Mixed Media on Canvas
“Cyberpunks” is Pigsy’s take on the movement formed in 1990, the beginning of the deep web and a decentralising power of the banks. The crossed out 72 is both a cry for admittance and a confusion that the artist’s year of birth predates the aforementioned formation- “I was a cyberpunk before it even started, let me in”. Note the signature in the painting in the top right is Pigsy in binary.
PIGSY welcomes visitors to his Malaga Studio
Visit artist PIGSY in La Casa Amarilla
PIGSY Spanish art studio is located on Calle Santos in the centre of Malaga City close to Calle Larios
During the pandemic Irish Artist PIGSY has been working full time as a professional artist in Malaga and is a resident in La Casa Amarilla Gallery. Pigsy’s studio is on the second floor of La Casa Amarilla which is a popular gallery in Malaga City Centre directed by David Burbano. The gallery is home to different sized art studios and hosts artists of various disciplines within. La Casa Amarilla is on Calle Santos a quiet street very near to Calle Larios and faces on to Cafe Aranda where you can stop off for a coffee and a churro after a visit to the studio. The cafe has been serving up churros since 1932 to the people of Malaga and visitors to this pleasant city!
Calle Larios, Malaga
The studio is a short walk from Calle Larios the main thoroughfare in Malaga Centro. Larios Street is a stunningly beautiful pedestrianised shopping street lined with attractive architectural buildings that at time will have you looking up rather than looking in the the shops! Most of the city is very walkable due to the pedestrianisation and also because of the size of the city which is very manageable for most to get about either walking or cycling - or you can rent an electric scooter too. The public bus is reliable and regular and can take you beyond the city if you wish to visit some of the small fishing villages along the coast (Pedregaleo is a must see), some of which are now home to chilled out fashionable, somewhat hipster, restaurants and cafes.
Art in Malaga
Pablo Picasso
Malaga has a rich art history with it of course being the birthplace of Pablo Picasso. Today artists and art lovers alike flock to the city to visit the two Picasso museums - one based in the house he was born in and the other in the house he grew up in.
Museo Carmen Thyssen Malaga
Along with this there are numerous other museums with the Carmen Thyssen in the centre of the city (steps away from PIGSY’s studio) showcasing a massive collection consisting of classic Spanish artists including artists, such as Mariano Fortuny, Joaquín Sorolla, Darío de Regoyos, Julio Romero de Torres and Ignacio Zuloaga.
The Carmen Thyssen Museum has a really nice cafe and gift store. The cafe does a really good cup of coffee (cortado) and there is a good deal for breakfast of a mixto, coffee and a glass of juice for about 3 euro.
Pompideau Malaga
The Pomipou Centre also has a museum here in Malaga (the first Pomidou Centre outside of France). The Pompidou Centre is located down by the port can only be described as a jewel in the crown of the marina and in fact it looks like a jewellery box being a cube colored building designed by Architect Renzo Piano sparkling in the sun and inviting visitors in to an amazing collection of artwork including Joan Miro, Dali and you guessed it some Picasso too!
There are lots of nice restaurants situated down by the marina close to the Pompideau Centre Malaga so you can make a whole half day of your visit to the museum and a lunch by the marina along with maybe a walk down to the lighthouse.
The Pompideau Malaga is free in after 5pm on Sundays.
Museo Jorge Rando
The Museo Jorge Rando reopened in Oct/Sept 2020 after renovations. It is located in an area that is a short walk from Uncibay Plaza is definitely worth seeing for both it’s extensive Rando collection and also the architecture of the museum with a spectacular corten clad courtyard out to the back of the building.
I visited the Museo Jorge Rando in October 2020 after it had reopened after renovations.
Malaga Studio Visit - Contact Enid
Contact Enid on pigsy.art@gmail.com if you are in the Malaga region and would like to meet PIGSY and take a tour of his studio and also visit La Casa Amarilla Art Gallery on Calle Santos, Malaga. PIGSY always enjoys visitors to his studio and will chat to you all about his latest work and what he is currently being inspired by.
Enid is also happy to give restaurant or cafe recommendations if you are interested in spending time in Malaga and want to relax over a glass of wine and some tapas after visiting the studio!
About PIGSY
About expressionist Irish artist PIGSY
Irish Artist PIGSY
Born on the North Side of Dublin in Ireland, Ciarán McCoy is an Irish Artist and award winning architect (ODKM Architects). He borrows from his architectural knowledge to create his diverse expressionist art work as his alter ego “PIGSY”.
The mediums that Pigsy uses range vastly from everyday household acrylic paint, chalk, oil sticks, acrylic sticks, oil paint, spray paint, charcoal and any other medium that feels right at the time of painting. McCoy explains “I like the looseness of my paintings I don't really want to put boundaries on myself or to be neat and proper. That's my architectural life. I like to be able to express myself freely in a fast free-flowing loose way - I really like the imperfection of the process”.
Honesty & Emotion in Art
"Many of my paintings are self portraits or semi-biographical, I paint about the things going on in my head at the time of painting. People have said to me that the paintings are angry but I don't think they're angry, I'm just expressing the frustrations of someone who lives with dyslexia. Words frustrate me and fascinate me at the same time. I sometimes don't understand the sounds of the letters, what they mean and why they don't do what they are supposed to do. Because of this I like to draw quick and loose as opposed to when I’m designing a building and it needs to be more rigid and consistent. I've also taken from street artists who have to paint fast. I think if you're drawing fast there's an honesty to it because there is no manipulation and overthinking, it's just straight from your head onto the canvas. I love the no phoney approach to that".
Mindset
This spontaneous approach takes away all inhibitions. "I deliberately don’t correct words that have been misspelled and I sometimes break them apart to emphasize what can be going on in my head”. He also splashes and spills paint loosely over the canvas which keeps the honest approach "for a long time I covered up the writing completely, so as to not expose myself too much to the outside world but as I got older I've stopped doing that. I'm happy where my art is, at the moment, and I feel that it's totally me. It's a take it or leave it approach, I have now."
Art vs. Architecture
“Art is a way of expressing myself and it’s a nice break from the normal day-to-day work routine of an architect. The creative process between art and architecture are very different disciplines. With architecture I have specific briefs and goals that I aim to achieve. With art there are no boundaries, I just express what's in my mind at the time that I am working, and in all honesty, I'm trying to get the thoughts out of my mind and on to the canvas. I see it as a healthy process. Work and life can be stressful at times and I find going to my studio and throwing a large piece of canvas on the ground and painting helps me release all those stresses in a creative and positive way”.
Creative Process
“My technique normally involves a free flowing start to each piece as I set out the scene for the broader context of the work, followed by a slower, drawn out finish as I immerse myself into the painting and endeavor to elicit an answer to the conundrums that I face and to dig myself out of the holes that I've created for myself in my mind and subconscious”
Influences
PIGSY is influenced by artists, musicians, writers and other figures in popular culture. He sites being influenced by artists such as Cy Twombly, Purvis Young, Hawkins Bolden, Karel Appel, Jean Michel Basquiat along with enjoying the work of David Lynch, David Byrne and poet Seamus Heaney and writer Hunter S. Thompson. Musical influences include 1980’s old school Hip Hop along with musicians like Talking Heads, Future Islands, Elvis Presley and currently Fontaines D.C. and The Felice Brothers.
Ranelagh Art Studio
For the past 10 years, PIGSY has been working in his Ranelagh studio in his award winning architecturally significant house in Dublin, Ireland. His art studio is at the top of the house on the third floor and is filled with light streaming from four window lights that flood the birch ply wood clad room that has a glass floor (which he covered in a plastic coating to protect it from the paint!). It’s a light and airy space - the perfect place to create art.
PIGSY in Malaga, Spain
As of August 2020, PIGSY is based in Malaga, Spain with full focus on the creation of art. He has taken a sabbatical from his architectural practice and has embarked, with his wife and dog, on an uncharted year in Spain inspired by all of the artists and creatives that have gravitated to this part of the world before him. He is excited about the adventure ahead of him, where he will fully immerse himself as PIGSY - as a full time artist he knows that he is entering in to an immensely creative period of his life!
Art life in Malaga, Spain
Art life routine in Malaga, Spain
It’s been nearly 5 months since I arrived from Ireland and started working in my art studio here in Malaga. I’ve settled in to a great routine in Spain, which you can read about in this blog post.
The first thing I had to get used to when I arrived in Malaga was the different working hours in Spain as compared to Ireland. I’ve adapted now and we changed our whole lifestyle to encompass the different working hours. Back home in Ireland we tended to eat dinner about 7ish but now here in Spain we eat about 9pm or so.
So my routine is now working out as follows>
Morning Art Life
We start every day with some self directed Spanish language learning on the internet - we do a combination of Duolingo, Spanish Dict Interactive Classes and Dr Danny Evans (The Language Tutor) on Youtube.
We then have breakfast about 11 or maybe a little later and either take Bones the dog for a walk before or after breakfast.
Afternoon - the Business end of Art
Art Website and Blogs etc
In the afternoon, both my wife and I look after the business end of my art work. Enid updates my website, I answer emails and then update social media along with doing other items as they arise.One big project that I worked on was bringing my art archive fully up to date - this took a bit of time but is done now and so I only have to tip away at it now. Over the past while, I also had an online solo exhibition with Designyard in Dublin and a group art exhibition with La Casa Amarilla here in Malaga, There was both administrative and physical work (paintings to be framed, etc.) to be done for these art shows, so this all kept me extremely busy in recent times. I find Artmoi very useful for my art inventory.
Other art business includes the marketing and promotion of my art which is a huge area - but luckily Enid has a diploma in Digital Marketing along with having lots of experience in this from her time working in public libraries.
Evening - the Art of Art
And then it is down to the real business of art: studio art work. I head to the studio about 3pm every day and stay there til about 8/8.30pm. Sometimes I leave a little earlier if I have chores to do like packages that need to be sent in the post. The Post Office is open until 8.30pm and I find that it is quietest after 7.30pm so I like to go then. I discovered the quiet time after queuing for over 30 mins outside the Post Office a few mornings! But no more queuing when I go later in the evening.
Enid tends to meet me when I am finished work (particularly now the Christmas lights are up on Larios) and we have a little walk around the city before we go home for dinner. When we arrive home we have a drink while making dinner on the bbq (which we have used every single day since we got it about a month after arriving in Spain). The bbq I chose is an electric Weber and I find it brilliant - very easy to use and makes perfect food….or maybe it is the chef that makes the perfect food!!
And then there are the other things that we get up to that also have to be fitted in on different days
Padel Tennis in Malaga
I play padel in the Atico Padel Club which is on the roof of the O2 gym near the city centre (just across the river). It’s a great club with a relaxed atmosphere. Along with playing some good games of Padel, I also get to practise my Spanish and mix with lots of people. It seems like Padel is popular in lots of countries and I have met lots of people with different Nationalities in this club. They all speak Spanish a lot better than me!!
Spanish Lessons (Online and in person)
Speaking of Spanish, we do two Spanish lessons with a teacher per week. One of the classes is currently being ran online due to Covid restrictions. Hopefully we will resume meeting in the Hotel Anihita in the new year for a face to face lesson on Tuesdays. Then on Wednesday we do a face to face lesson in No Piqui Cafe in a group of 5 learners with teacher Clara of Speak and Learn. An hour long class passes quickly and while is very inspiring and helps me a lot, it also highlights how little Spanish I know and how my progress with the leaning is slow. But I’ll get there - poco a poco!
Enid’s volunteering job - Cudeca
On Saturdays from 10am until 2pm, Enid volunteers in a local charity shop which is ran by Cudeca. This gives me a bit of free time on a Saturday morning so I tend to have a relaxed time which involves a slow saunter with the dog and maybe stop off in a local cafe for a coffee. On the way home from the walk I buy some bread in the panederia and then I go home and browse the internet over breakfast and catch up with what is going on in the world!
Sundays in Malaga
For us everyday is a work day so we tend to follow a similar routine on Sundays too, except that we fit in a visit to a museum or attraction on this day. You can see some of the museums we visited in past blog posts that I have written.
And so that’s my general routine here in Malaga but I also get up to different ad hoc things that come up like what we did last night !! Read below for more!
Lights on Calle Larios
As mentioned the Christmas lights are now up on Calle Larios and in other parts of the city. They are absolutely spectacular and as I said we like to make it a thing to walk on Larios every evening and enjoy the lights. It’s very much a family activilty here in Spain for families to get out in the evening and enjoy the lights and music. The weather is mild and given the Covid situation it feels very safe to do this as everyone is keeping their distance and wearing masks. In past years, Calle Larios has been very busy at this time but the light and music shows have been toned down this year. There is also a large police presence to crowd control if it got overly busy.
Last night we got up to something fun on Calle Larios. My wife’s sister in the USA is working on a facebook project called “Me and my Tree” where she is compiling a collection of people dressed up in their party best (even though most are not going out and some are even in places that are on lockdown) posing with a drink beside their Christmas tree. Even though we aren’t putting a tree up this year, my wife Enid definitely wanted to partake in this fun Christmas project so she put on a party dress and I took some pics of her beside the tree at the top of Calle Larios on Constitution Plaza.
“Me and my Tree”, a global Facebook project created by Amy
Enid’s twin sister, Amy, came across some vintage 1960’s pictures of glamorous ladies in sparkly dresses posing beside their festive trees. She thought it would make a great activity for her friends to do in 2020 and so put the word out on Facebook that she was looking for people to join in and send her their pics of themselves with their tree. She has created a collection of pics on facebook.
If Amy decides to share the photos from the collection on her blog I will put a link to them all. But for the moment, please do enjoy the pic of Amy beside her vintage looking white Christmas tree covered in colored baubles.
And below arethe pics of my wife Enid with the beautifully lit Christmas tree on Calle Larios that Amy has included in the facebook album of her “Me and my Tree” collection of photos for 2020.
A Move to Malaga for PIGSY
A move for artist PIGSY from Ireland to Spain
New Spanish adventure!
It is the start of a new adventure for myself, Enid & Bones!
I am here in Spain (the beautiful city of Malaga) for the foreseeable future to PAINT!
New Art Studio in Malaga
We rented a little apartment along with studio space to work in (en La Casa Amarilla).
It’s a fantastic opportunity to move from Ireland at this time and I am feeling very positive about this amazing adventure for us.
2020 has been one hell of a year but I think this move is a positive one.
PIGSY is going to enter in to an immensely creative period!!
Contact me for further information
My artwork is available through The Designyard Gallery - do pop in to view if you are in Dublin in Ireland (say Hi to Ronan for me!) or you can also view available pieces online, with shipping available worldwide.
My studio is open to visitors (in a socially distanced manner) so get in contact if you want to visit me here in Malaga!
A Ramble through Ranelagh
Join artist PIGSY on a walk through Ranelagh!
Ranelagh, Dublin 6, Ireland
When you ramble through Ranelagh a small urban village in Dublin with an art canvas under your arm on a warm sunny May Day……and the route to the framing shop takes you down laneways, through the park, under alleyways, past a vintage Mini Cooper and on to “Framexperts” next to Nick’s Coffee.
Ireland is the best on days like this and it certainly makes me thankful that I live in a great village with fantastic amenities and shops like Ranelagh!
Pandemic Painting
“Phoenix Rising” - an expressionist response to lockdown in Dublin, Ireland in March 2020
We are living through a Pandemic.
So I am painting.
We will get through this. We will rise up. Stay positive!
Art always helps.
UPDATE! “Phoenix Rising” *SOLD*
“Phoenix Rising” is now SOLD and is in-situ in the new owner’s house as part of their art collection
New range of Limited Edition Prints now available for sale in the Designyard Gallery
Limited Edition Pigsy Prints in Designyard
Due to popular demand I’m pleased to announce that a new range of Pigsy limited edition prints are now available in a variety of sizes in the Designyard Gallery in South Frederick Street, Dublin, Ireland.
Designyard Gallery
The Designyard Gallery is open Monday to Saturday or you can visit online (click here) - worldwide shipping available.
Click through gallery below to see different prints that are for sale in the Designyard Gallery
Limited Edition PIGSY Prints with Custom Frames
PIGSY artworks are printed on Hannemuhle Fine Art Paper mounted on dibond. The prints are framed in a custom designed bespoke lime washed tray frame that has a very architectural aesthetic with a proportioned shadow gap.
The collection of prints are available on the Designyard website with worldwide shipping and the make the perfect gift for a newly married couple or a new home owner.
New Year 2020: Looking back on 2019
Goodbye 2019, Hello 2020
New Year is always a time that I end up looking at the past and considering my time since last Christmas. 2019 has been one hell of a year and I’m thankful for all that has happened - lots of it beyond my wildest dreams.
Here’s the highlights 0f 2019…. (in no particular order)
“Pigsy” film is released online
I go sailing in Turkey and on to Greece - a really great trip and a definite highlight of the year - read about it here
Pigsy film screens in Fitzwilliam along with an exhibition of my work
Released a limited edition print of “The Extra-Ordinary Crucified For You”
Climbed Carrantuohil
3 of my pieces were in Incognito
I visited Key West in May for a very chilled out trip staying with Enid’s twin sister Amy
My painting “Duval Flag” is a part of the Key West Business Guild Pride month fundraiser
In squash I won the Fitzwilliam Vets Club Championship O/45
I paint my largest piece to date : “Squash Soldiers”
Part of the team that won the Leinster League and Cup O/40s
I travel to San Pedro to play Padel Tennis
I spend Christmas in Key West
My art work goes on sale in the Design Yard Gallery with representation by Ronan Campbell
Made a big plan for 2020…..watch this space
And this is only a small part of what went on in my life. Professionally there has been so much more with lots of architectural successes - but if I start there I will be going on forever!
Here’s to 2020!
I’m ending 2019 in a great place and I know 2020 will be even better! I’ve certainly got a lot of reasons to be cheerful.
Pictured below is some of the Pigsy Artwork available in the the Designyard Gallery, Dublin City
Put Art in your Cart for Christmas!
Christmas Presents for Art Lovers
Are you considering a gift of art for someone special this Christmas?
For the person who has everything art is the unique gift that they will be delighted to find under the Christmas tree this year.
I’m happy to present some perfect options below including both prints and originals.
See the Designyard Gallery website
“V.I.P”
1500mm W x 750mm H
Mixed Media on Canvas
“Cloigeann an Diabhal”
600mm W x 600mm
Mixed Media on canvas
“The Extra-Ordinary Crucified for You” (Prints & Original available from the Designyard Gallery)
“The Extra-Ordinary Crucified for You”
Framed Print
440mm x 345mm on Hannemuhle Fine Art Paper Mounted on Dibond with Lime Washed Tray Frame
Squash Soldiers
“Squash Soldiers” by PIGSY an artwork about the game of squash by PIGSY
A large scale artwork about the competition of squash playing, now on display in Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club
“Squash Soldiers”
Kemp writes about the latest Pigsy piece, a large scale art work that is now on display in the Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club in Dublin, Ireland.
In his latest and largest art piece created to date, PIGSY presents us with “Squash Soldiers”, a study of the benefits of undertaking a competitive practise. This is illustrated through squash, a sport that the artist has played at a high level since his youth.
Competition in Sport
The main two figures in the piece represent the “professional” and the “amateur” player and the connection between their relative ambitions. PIGSY afford both forms an equal billing in the painting to illustrate that the standard you play at is not as important as the benefits accrued from the participation.
The artist speaks of the unspoken bond formed by the repetition of a mutual experience, the achievement of a personal set of goals and the feel good factor achieved by a participatory role as far more beneficial than merely “being good” or “winning trophies”
Equality & Inclusivity in sport
As is usual in his work, the piece is flush with metaphor. The ghostly audience represent the standard bearers of the sport looking on. Both a left and right handed player can be seen either side of the painting to symbolise equality and inclusivity.
Finally, the artist’s perennial fascination with the functions of the brain are dotted throughout the work. The piece is gridded out to represent a squash court but also the eight parts of the brain that are utilised during a competitive pursuit.
Art Mug
“Squash Soldiers” is now available on a printed enamel mug from the PIGSY merchandise store. Contact me to find out more….
Edit - Feb 2022
Squash Soldiers available as a limited edition print!
Squash Soldiers is available as a framed limited edition print. The print has a bespoke custom frame designed by Ciaran McCoy. It makes a great gift - contact me for further info.
Pigsy in the Designyard, Dublin City
Designyard Gallery Dublin: Showcasing the Best of Irish Design & Craft
When it comes to celebrating the finest Irish design and craftsmanship, Designyard Gallery in Dublin stands out as a must-visit destination. Located on South Frederick Street, this gallery is a treasure trove of unique and extraordinary pieces of art, jewelry, and design. Whether you're a local or a tourist, stepping into Designyard offers a chance to experience the best of Irish contemporary design and craftsmanship in one of the most iconic art spaces in Dublin.
Discover Iconic Irish Art at Designyard
Among the many stunning artworks on display, one piece that stands out is "The Extra-Ordinary Crucified for You" by Pigsy. This large, striking artwork commands attention, and while photos can provide a glimpse, nothing compares to seeing it in person. The intricate details and bold statement of this piece embody the spirit of contemporary Irish sculpture and modern art.
Why Visit Designyard Gallery in Dublin?
Whether you’re an art enthusiast or simply looking for a unique gift, Designyard offers something for everyone. From traditional Irish craftsmanship to cutting-edge design, the gallery showcases a diverse range of pieces that represent the heart and soul of Irish art culture. Designyard not only highlights established artists but also nurtures emerging talent, creating a dynamic and ever-changing collection.
A Unique Experience of Irish Craft
When you visit the Designyard Gallery, you'll find a rich selection of jewelry, ceramics, glass, textiles, and fine art sculptures. Each item is carefully selected for its creativity, innovation, and connection to Irish heritage. The gallery’s collection is a testament to the enduring popularity and excellence of Irish craft design, showcasing both timeless and contemporary works. Whether you're looking for one-of-a-kind jewelry or a statement sculpture, Designyard is a must-see destination for anyone interested in Irish design.
Meet Pigsy: The Artist Behind "The Extra-Ordinary Crucified for You"
One of the standout pieces at Designyard is the thought-provoking and visually stunning "The Extra-Ordinary Crucified for You" by the artist Pigsy. This sculpture, with its larger-than-life presence, pushes boundaries and challenges perceptions. The work is a remarkable example of modern Irish art that blends powerful symbolism with an innovative, contemporary approach.
Pigsy’s work invites viewers to explore deeper meanings and interpretations, making it an unforgettable part of the gallery’s collection. Whether you are an art connoisseur or simply appreciate unique and thought-provoking pieces, Pigsy's art will leave a lasting impression on you.
Why Should You Visit Designyard for Pigsy's Work?
Seeing Pigsy's "The Extra-Ordinary Crucified for You" in person is an experience that should not be missed. The scale, emotion, and craftsmanship of this piece make it one of the most captivating works on display at the gallery. When you visit, don't forget to tell the team at Designyard that Pigsy sent you!
More Than Just a Gallery: The Heart of Irish Design
Designyard is more than just a place to buy art; it’s a hub for Irish craftsmanship and design innovation. It offers visitors an opportunity to connect with the Irish design community and discover unique pieces that reflect the rich cultural heritage of Ireland. If you're looking for authentic handcrafted jewelry, ceramic art, or distinctive modern sculptures, Designyard is the ultimate place to find extraordinary creations that can’t be found anywhere else.
Plan Your Visit to Designyard Gallery
If you’re planning a trip to Dublin or live in the city, make sure to include Designyard Gallery in your itinerary. Located on South Frederick Street, the gallery is easily accessible and offers an immersive experience of Irish contemporary art. Don’t forget to take the time to explore the diverse collections on offer, including works by Pigsy and other celebrated artists.
For further details on current exhibitions, visiting hours, and available pieces, click here. Whether you’re a seasoned art lover or new to the world of Irish design, Designyard promises an enriching and inspiring visit.
Explore More of Irish Art and Design
Designyard is proud to showcase some of the best contemporary Irish designers and artists. From limited-edition prints to artisan-crafted homeware, there’s always something new to discover at the gallery. Immerse yourself in the creativity and craftsmanship that define Ireland’s vibrant art scene.
Conclusion: Designyard Gallery - Your Destination for Irish Design and Craft
In the heart of Dublin, Designyard Gallery is a destination where Irish design meets artistic excellence. Whether you're admiring Pigsy's awe-inspiring sculptures or browsing through the latest handcrafted jewelry, Designyard offers a window into the best of Irish creativity. Don’t miss out on the chance to experience this unique gallery and the remarkable pieces it holds. Visit Designyard today and discover the exceptional work of Ireland’s finest designers and artists.
Expressing myself: What I'm working on.....painting about Irish legends
Art Inspiration: Irish Legends
Fionn Macool
I’m currently working on a piece based on an old legend of Ireland. It is about Fionn Macool the leader of the Na Fianna warriors. The painting features Bran and Sceolang, Fionn’s two dogs and I am looking at the myth from a contemporary view and considering what Ireland needs saving from.
