art

Squash Soldiers /  by PIGSY

“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.

“Squash Soldiers” by PIGSY is on public display in the art collection of Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club in Dublin, Ireland

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 /  by PIGSY

Designyard Gallery Dublin - showcasing the best of Irish Design & Craft

Among all of the incredible jewels and art pieces on sale in the Designyard in Dublin you’ll find a Pigsy on show. It’s “The Extra-Ordinary Crucified for You” and it is a massive piece - the photos of it online don’t do it justice.

Make time to visit the Designyard on South Frederick Street and be sure and tell them that Pigsy sent you!

For further info. click here

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Expressing myself: What I'm working on.....painting about Irish legends /  by PIGSY

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.

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Art in situ /  by PIGSY

Art on Walls

It’s always amazing to see two things happen when a painting gets hung on a wall.

Transformation

The first thing that happens is that it completely transforms the whole space just by the simple action of putting a painting up. Then the second thing that happens is that the painting looks so completely different depending on where it is hung. and it also shouts out and appeals to people while it may not have before it was placed on the wall.

"Pigsy Split Personality" hung in a house with a ultra modern glass handrail around the staircase

In regards to this, my advice would be to try art out. Hang pieces in different spots with different lighting and enjoy how they look and how you feel about them. It’s all subjective and down to personal taste so the main thing is how YOU feel about the art and whether YOU can live with it on your walls!

Art In-Situ

If you are an Art Collector, I’d advise you never rule out a piece until you see it in-situ or in a visualization of what it will look like in a particular space. Contact me for more details if you are interested.

Framed Art

When talking about hanging art on walls the question of frames always arise. Framing art can be very much about the preference of the art collector, the preference of the artist or the style of the house and the setting that the art will be hung in. The style of the art work is also important as some contemporary artworks look better unframed, or if they are going to be framed, care needs to be taken when choosing a frame to ensure that the frame is very subtle and does not interfere with the intention of the art. If you are interested in reading more about art framing, I’ve written extensively about framing art in another blog post - for more please see my art blog here.

"Pigsy" screening at the Galway Film Festival /  by PIGSY

PIGSY screens in Galway Film Festival

Mike Andrews' short film "Pigsy" will be screened as part of the Galway Film Festival on Sunday the 15th of July at midday. As part of an 8 Irish shorts screening, tickets are available on the festival website. 

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PIGSY short film on Youtube now

Edit - you can now watch the PIGSY film on Youtube or below

Upcoming exhibition in Gallery X /  by PIGSY

Group Show in Gallery X

The Cock & Pussy Manifesto

Currently I am working on my solo exhibition which opens in early October. My exhibition will consist of about 10 or 11 very large pieces. 

If you can't wait til October to see my work you get the opportunity to see a small piece I painted that is part of a group exhibition that is opening in Gallery X on the 31st of August. See details of the exhibition here. Curated by Gallery owner Giovanni Guisti who explains that the art show “is meant as an attack on the shame that society makes us feel about what he believes are our most important bits” it features artworks by numerous artists of the male and female form.

PIGSY working on an artwork - creating a custom frame

The above pic is of me at work on the piece that I will be exhibiting. I am fabricating a custom frame for the artwork. The piece is a a take on Polaroid photos of a nude Jean-Michel Basquiat with me as the subject matter, go figure!

Gallery X is on 65 South William Street and the exhibition titled “The Cock & Pussy Manifesto” runs from 31st of Aug to the 22nd of September.

Gallery X owner Giovannu Guisti photographed by Laoise Neylon for Dublin Inquirer

Here’s a picture of the exhibition - you can see the PIGSY painting on the wall behind Gallery Owner Giovanni Guisti. This PIGSY is the male nude to the right of the photo.

Read a press report of the exhibition here.

Where I buy my supplies.... /  by PIGSY

Art Supplies in Dublin

In the past I have stretched my own canvas on to wooden frames. However, although cheaper than a ready stretched canvas, it is not one bit convenient. So currently I buy ready stretched canvas.

For canvas, I go to Evans on Capel Street. 

My last expedition to Evans was on Saturday and I hired a GoCar van as the canvas I proposed buying would not fit in my Smart Car!!

Along with canvas, I buy oil sticks and brushes in Evans.

For other art supplies I visit Tiger and also sometimes hardware stores for domestic paint. 

And finally I get my spray paint in All City Records where I have a browse at the vinyl when I visit which always makes for a fun trip that Enid likes to do with me.

 

Here's me on my most recent canvas buying expedition in the GoCar van.

Blast from the Past "Dad's Dublin" /  by PIGSY

“Dad’s Dublin” by Pigsy

Here's a painting of mine that I did a few years ago. It's called "Dad's Dublin" and the story behind it is that my Dad gave me the canvas. He had used it to start a painting of Dublin. I painted over his Dublin with my Dublin (you can see Liberty Hall to the right) and then gave it back to him as a gift.

The artwork is now hanging in my parent’s home - “Dad’s Dublin” in my Dad’s house.

3 Generational Exhibition /  by PIGSY

3 Generational Art Exhibition - Cabra Library

A few months ago my father asked me for a few pieces for an exhibition he was holding. He had made arrangements to exhibit in his local public library in Cabra and wanted to include my work, his work and also his grandchild's (my niece) work.

It was literally a 3 generational exhibition with work by a father, son and granddaughter.

I wrote up a small biography to my father's specifications and during the exhibition this was circulated with further information about the three of us.

The exhibition went well.  There was no official launch but there were lots of great comments in the visitors book.

If you are interested in my niece's work you can click here to view her youtube channel.