"A Cohort of Creative Bohemians and other interesting individuals" by Tony Bryant /  by PIGSY

Tony Bryant’s book is out!

“A Cohort of Creative Bohemians and interesting individuals” by Tony Bryant

Englishman Tony Bryant has lived on the the Costa del Sol in Spain for the last 25 years and has been reporting on the cultural scene of the Costa del Sol through his work as a journalist with SUR, Malaga’s most popular and longest running English language paper. Through his work he has met luminaries in the realms of art, literature, music and film along with other interesting characters and celebrities with unique stories to tell.

In his newly published book, “A Cohort of Creative Bohemians” he highlights some of his favourite people that he has met and interviewed.

I first met Tony Bryant when he interviewed me for an article on me, my art and how I live and inspire others with dyslexia for the SUR newspaper. I’m now proud to be included in his “cohort of bohemians” where Tony gives an indepth account of the times we met and the things we discussed including my childhood in Dublin, art residency in La Casa Amarilla, travels and work in Spain and being an artist with dyslexia.

Here’s a small exerpt from the book which I find quite funny! PIGSY and the authors first meeting

In Tony’s words……

“I first interviewed him in his studio, which was situated in the back streets of Malaga, close to the Carmen Thyssen Museum.

His art is quite chaotic, and so I assumed his studio would be cluttered and disorderly: it was the opposite. However, the artist explained that his wife had insisted on tidying up before “the guy from the newspaper” arrived. Having since visited his studio on several occassions, it became obvious that my initial assumption was correct”

Author Tony Bryant pictured with PIGSY’s artwork “I’ve Given Enough” which was shown at an outdoor exhibition in Malaga City for the “Off Yellow” group show

CNN’s International Business Correspondent ^ Anchorman Richard Quest (of “Quest means Business”) on a visit to the Costa del Sol with author Tony Bryant

PIGSY and Author Tony Bryant, pictured in La Casa Amarilla Gallery, Malaga in March 2021

The Cohort!

Other notable interviewees included in the book are CNN’s International Business Correspondant Richard Quest of the notable “Quest means Business” show and Marbella TV’s Nicole King as well as others like Barbadian singer Magnet Man and musicians Martin Hope and Jesse Lynn-Dean of the The Wasps.

You can click below for the CNN website to see a video of Richard Quest visiting the Pablo Picasso Museum in Malaga.

Bohemian Cohort Listing

Andrew Lin

Andy Paterson

Anne Hernández

Brad Bernard

Captain Tom Moore

Carmella Dight

Cath John

Chandy Haggett

Charlee d’Anvers

Chris Stewart

Chris Turner

Colin Stoddart

Dana International

Dave Barraclough

Dave Thompson

Father Louis Darrant

George McCrae

Harry Stewart

Jeff Roope

Jenny Head

Joan Fallon

Karen McMahon

Kjell Sporrong

PIGSY and the author at PIGSY’s “I Went to Mass” Art Exhibition in La Casa Amarilla Galerie in Malaga, Spain in 2021

Tony Bryant captures the conversations he had with PIGSY about living life as a person with dyslexia which helps to bring greater understanding to those who who live with it or are involved with people who have dyslexia

Leslie Thomson

Lucy Pardoe

Lyn Volgarino

Marcus Myers

Mel Williams

Mud Morganfield

Paul Stylianou

Rainer Helin

Richard Butterworth

Robert Van Damm

Rod Younger

Shelagh Tennant

Tina Hall

Tony Vino

Vera King

William Mark

For more books & writings by Tony Bryant, you can check out Tony’s website here.

Ranelagh Arts: Artists Profile /  by PIGSY

Meet the Artists of Ranelagh Arts Summer Exhibition

As I wrote in my previous blog, I was selected to be part of the RA Summer Exhibition. It’s been a great experience, with my artwork selling shortly after the exhibition opened, along with getting to meet lots of new artist friends through this recently re-opened cultural center in their new prime location on Ranelagh main street just across from the Luas station.

In addition to the Summer Exhibition, another thing that Ranelagh Arts are doing is they are profiling and featuring all of the artists on their social media. I was glad to be in the first batch of “profiled artists” and you can read the bio/profile below.

"PIGSY" is Ciarán McCoy.  Ciarán McCoy is "PIGSY"

Artist PIGSY at work in his Art Studio in Dublin, Ireland

Ciarán McCoy, as an architect was the founding Partner of ODKM Architects in Dublin City. As an artist, he creates artworks as his alter ego PIGSY, which defines a clear separation between his being an architect and an artist. As PIGSY, he borrows from his architectural knowledge and other life experiences to create his diverse punk expressionist art works.

Spontaneous approach to art

PIGSY's works include paintings and sculptures that are created using a wide range of mediums such as everyday household acrylic paint, chalk, oil sticks, acrylic sticks, oil paint, spray paint, charcoal, pencil, crayon and any other medium that feels right at the time of creating the works, including studio detritus. Many of his artworks are self-portraits or semi-biographical in theme, and express the frustrations of someone who lives with dyslexia. His obsession with words both frustrate and fascinate him, while at the same time are a constant theme from inception to completion of many of his artworks.  His process tends to be a very quick start in a high paced manner which evolves and then terminates in a deeply considered emotion. The paintings and sculptures are a personal opening of the inner workings of a chaotic dyslexic mind that is in a battle to calm and organise itself. The quick and loose stye is the polar opposite to the rigid disciplined learnt practice of architecture. This spontaneous approach takes away all inhibitions and allows a non-inhibited honesty that rings true in his work.

Art Residency & Exhibitions

Artist PIGSY pictured with his wife Enid Bebbington at the opening night of his exhibtion “Catharsis of Collapse” in Kenmare Butter Market Gallery, Kenmare, Kerry, Ireland

McCoy is a qualified draughtsman, Architectural Technician, Architect and is listed on the RIAI Register of Architects. PIGSY is a member of several international art organisations aswell as Visual Artists Ireland. He completed a year’s residency in La Casa Amarilla Gallery in Malaga Spain in 2021, and has works on display in galleries in Spain, Ireland & USA.  He recently exhibited in the Kenmare Butter Market where he showed large scale works that he created in Spain. Currently PIGSY works from his Dublin City Centre studio. 

Artist with dyslexia

PIGSY is a champion for people with dyslexia and publicly speaks about the subject along with being featured in filmmaker Mike Andrew's 2018 short film "PIGSY" which tells about his life as an artist with dyslexia.

PIGSY Links

PIGSY’s Instagram - lots of great pics of my PIGSY art and what I get up to daily

PIGSY Film by Mike Andrews - Youtube link - feel free to share!

PIGSY’s Twitter

PIGSY’s Facebook

Ranelagh Arts Summer Exhibition is now open! /  by PIGSY

Official Launch of Ranelagh Arts Summer Exhibition.

Artist PIGSY standing beside his artwork that was part of the Ranelagh Arts Group Summer Exhibition

It was an honour to be selected to be part of the Ranelagh Arts Summer Exhibition with my artwork “Searching” chosen by the selection committee to be part of the show.

Curated by Monika Crowley the Summer exhibition consisted of a variety of works created by forty artists, many from the locality and also some from further afield with artists from USA, Canada and Georgia. The mix of artists all brought together under one roof in Ranelagh gave a multicultural feel to the exhibition but also united us as one group within the vibrant community that is Ranelagh.

Curation

Kudos to the selection committee and the curatorial team who created a cohesive collection of art that worked incredibly well in the newly located Ranelagh Arts Centre now on main street Ranelagh near to Ranelagh Gardens.

Ranelagh Artist

As a Ranelagh resident, that can trace my roots back 3 generations to this place, (I live in the house that my grandfather bought and my father was raised in), it has given me great pride to be part of this exhibition. Ranelagh is home to many artists and it is like a creative and cultural hub in Dublin 6 and I love being part of this art scene.

Summer Vibe in Ranelagh

With the official opening speech given by Ranelagh Arts Chair Emer O'Siochru, there was a great vibe and the large crowd of attendees spilled out on to the main street of Ranelagh after enjoying the art in the show room. With the good weather in Dublin, this art opening brought me back to my recent art residence in Spain with memories of art exhibitions and openings that I was associated with in La Casa Amarilla, Malaga where attendees would spill out on to the street of Calle Santos, glass of wine in hand.

Four artists pose in front of their artworks as part of a large group show

Exhibition Sponsorship

Speaking of wine, a big thanks to event sponsor Redmonds Off Licence who sponsored the wine along with Humphreys providing additional sponsorship of the event, along with support from Dublin City Council.

The exhibtion runs until August 26th so call in and see this group show before it closes!

See further details here on the Ranelagh Arts Instagram.

Ranelagh Arts

No. 6 Ranelagh Road

Framed paper study by Irish artist PIGSY against a white wall with corners of other artworks viewable

Open: Tues - Sun, 12pm to 5.30pm

“Searching” by PIGSY

My artwork “Searching” was selected by committee to be included in the exhibtion.

It’s a paper study in a bespoke frame that was handcrafted by a master craftsman in Dublin 8. I’m happy to announce that this artwork is SOLD, but if you missed out on it, you can see more paper studies for sale on my website.

Framed art in a group art exhibition

Exhibiting artists:

Conleth Gent

Alex Gur

Roisin Ni Ghudhir

Derval Tubridy

Ruth Egan

Mary O’Connor

Irene O’Neill

Jessica Daly

Nancy Previs

Lee Welch

Stephen Carolan

Pat Byrne

Monika Crowley

Lisa McCGann

Sergio Susperregui

Kayla Martell

Framed neo expressionist paper study by PIGSY

“Searching” by PIGSY, on view at Ranelagh Summer Exhibtion

Maeve Stafford

Bridge Rose

Esther O’Kelly

Emmett Cathcart

Bonnie Kavanagh

Aisling Roche

Inga Ryan

John Murray

Hugh McClean

Anne Cooney

Helen Blair

Eoin Byrne

PIGSY

Barbara Kelly

Teri Farrell

Daniel McKeon

Brian Gallagher

Niall Lowney

Paula Farrell

Gerhardt Gallagher

Kevin McSherry

Joan Kilfeather

Maria Ginnity

Paula O'Riordan

Margot Galvin

Daniel Lipstein

More Summer Exhibitions

If you missed seeing the PIGSY work at this exhibition, the next group show opening is a Slow Lane Gallery presentation “Larbi” in Gallery X on Hume Street, With guest curator Dino Notaro, I will be showcasing some weird and wonderful artworks. The PIGSY pieces that have been selected are very raw and quite different from most of the pieces I exhibit. They will push the viewer out of their comfort zone as they experience the unexpected PIGSY art that for this show makes serious moves away from the mainstream art I normally present.

Ranelagh Visual Arts Exhibition 2022 /  by PIGSY

Save the date!

Proud to announce that I have been selected to exhibit a PIGSY art work at the Ranelagh Visual Arts Exhibition which launches on July 23rd 3pm to 6pm.

What: Ranelagh Visual Arts Exhibition 2022

When: 23rd July to 26th of August

Where: Studio 6, Ranelagh Arts Centre, Ranelagh Road, Dublin 6

Focus on Art: "Squash Soldiers" /  by PIGSY

PIGSY Art Focus Series: “Squash Soldiers”

The latest video in the PIGSY Art Focus Series is now available and it makes an indepth look at the large scale art work “Squash Soldiers” which is based on the sport of Squash. Click below to hear all about this artwork.

“Squash Soldiers” Limited Edition Prints

“Squash Soldiers” is now available as a framed limited edition print. Contact me for more details of this special print. The perfect art gift for squash fans!

Homiés Marbella, Art House, is now open! /  by PIGSY

A brightly colored painting featured a bull armed with a gun in it's mouth

Homiés Marbella Art Space is launched!

The inauguration of the Homiés Marbella Art House took place on the 1st of June in collaboration with La Casa Amarilla, Malaga.

This new gallery featured my art along with other LCA artists including Le Petit Kaiser, D.Darko, Samuel De Sagas, Daniela Miazzoarte, Irina Molina, Nocolas Villamizar, Cristina Peralta and other Spanish and International artists in this pop art group show, curated by La Casa Amarillo Director David Burbano and Curator Roy Laguna.

See below for pics of opening night.

Art Marbella

On view until 30th of Sept at Homiés Marbella in Puerto Banus on Calle Ribera.

“I’ve Given Enough”

PIGSY’s bull artwork “I’ve Given Enough” is presented in this show. Click below to see the video which gives an indepth look at this work of art.

Focus on Art Series: Happy Pride Month! /  by PIGSY

Focus on Art Series: PIGSY celebrates Pride Month

To mark, Pride Month, Enid Bebbington, PIGSY Digital Marketing Manager takes an indepth look at PIGSY’s artwork “Duval Flag” in the latest episode of the PIGSY Focus on Art Series. The painting was inspired by the famous Sea to Sea Rainbow flag which ran along Duval Street and features the concept designer of the original rainbow flag, Gilbert Baker. Click to play the video below to hear more.

“Duval Flag” by PIGSY

This artwork is now in a private art collection in Florida, USA.

See here for further focus on art videos about PIGSY artworks.

Focus on Art Video Series /  by PIGSY

Focus on PIGSY Art: “I’ve Given Enough”

The latest PIGSY art video features Digital Marketing Manager Enid Bebbington talking about “I’ve Given Enough” which is a vivid artwork that was created by PIGSY when he was resident artist in the studios of La Casa Amarilla Gallery in Malaga, Spain

See here for further PIGSY Art Focus videos in this series.

LCA Homiés Pop Art Exhibition, Marbella, Spain /  by PIGSY

A yellow background inscribed with funky writing and information about the new art exhibition in Marbella Puerto Banus in Homiés Art House in collaboration with La Casa Amarilla Gallery Malaga

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 /  by PIGSY

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.

PIGSY's top picks for Malaga /  by PIGSY

PIGSY’s must do things in Malaga

Edit - explanatory note - This is a blog post that I wrote back in 2021 just before we left Malaga to return to Ireland. I never published it at this time. After spending a year in Malaga as a Resident Artist in La Cas Amarilla, I’m really happy to share it with you now to enjoy!

Malaga is really easy to get around because it's pretty small if you take the right routes. So you can get a lot done with some pre-planning.

Here's a suggested list of things I'd do in Malaga:-

1. Centre Pompidou

Hands down one of my favorites. You have to pay but it's free from 4pm (I think) on Sundays. I'm not sure what exhibition is on but I always found myself there on Sunday wandering around. There were no queues then because it was during the pandemic.

2. The Center of Contemporary Art Malaga (CAC)

This is in SOHO and free. It's a must see. Again I'd find myself wandering around this place alot. They put on some really great exhibitions.

Side note:-

I also liked to walk the dried river bed to take in some of the local graffiti and get inspired. Also it's a good way to see what topics are on street artists' minds. The council has some cool plans in the pipelines for a city living garden here. It doesn't look inviting but there is some cool graffiti art along it.

3. CAC MÁLAGA LA CORACHA

This one is free (well I never had to pay so I think it's free). It's very close to 1. above so you could group this together and save walking around like a mad man. LOL

4. Museo Carmen Thyssen Málaga

Nice museum with an entry fee. Free on Sundays from 5pm. Queues can be huge. The permanent collection is only ok in my view but they have from time to time some nice temporary collections. I won't bother unless I really want to see an exhibition they have on. But that's me. The coffee shop is a nice place to cool down and get away from the street.

5. Picasso Museum Málaga

This, for me, is the same as 4, above. But worth a look if you are that way inclined. But it would be far down on my list because there are less queues in other places and less tourists. But worth a look if you can handle the crowds. They had an amazing 'Barcelo' exhibition there last year that I loved.

6. Museo Jorge Rando

This one was free when I went. It seems far out of town but in a straight line it's not far at all if you know your way. Easy to walk. It's a strange one because the artist isn't that well known (well I didn't know him that's to say). There will be no crowds at this place and it's a good collection, in my opinion. The architecture in the courtyard is tops.

7. Centro Cultural La Malagueta

This is a space in the bullring. It is very close to 3. and 1. above. I've been to one or 2 nice photo exhibitions in this space . Again it was free. Not sure what's on at the moment and it's a small venue.

8. Ateneo de Málaga

This is a small space for artists to exhibit. A few of my artist pals have shown here. It's free and you can just stroll in. I'm not sure what's on at the moment. It's right at Pl. de la Constitución so you can get more central. It's very close to 4. above.

9. La Casa Amarilla Málaga

This is the gallery that I was a resident artist in where I had my studio at. It's a small gallery but don't be fooled, everything creative in Malaga happens out of this space. David, the owner and gallery director, is an amazing photographer and filmmaker in his own right. Top guy. Your Spanish will be tested here no doubt haha. This is a must go see in my view. Introduce yourself and tell them PIGSY sent you. Also, if you have time, sit in Arandas cafe and have a churro or two. They are the best in the city.

Other museums further out of town:

- The car museum is next door to the Russian Museum. It's ok but you have to pay in. Not really my thing.

-La Térmica. These put on some great exhibitions but not sure what's also a venue for music. It's a 15 min cycle or bus. It's more of a cultural space so you'd have to make sure that they have something on that you want to see.



- Unicaja Concert Hall María Cristina

This is a music hall. Worth a look, no tourists will know this place. Just wander in for a few minutes and have a gander. If you are lucky you may see the musicians rehearing.

Believe it or not this is only scratching the surface. There is lots more but the above will keep you busy. No need to spend money if you schedule it right as well so it's all affordable.

Top restaurant recommendations in Malaga

Kraken (off Calle Larios)

Kraken is a restaurant that tends to get good reviews on Tripadvisor and is centrally located in Malaga. Enid was interested in going to it and I was happy to go along too! It’s got an interesting mix of tapas - I would probably describe them as modern Spanish with plenty of sea food to choose from too. We really enjoyed the fish wrapped in a lettuce leaf (we ordered a second one after tasting the first!). The setting is great, it’s just off Calle Larios in a square with other restaurants and coffee shops with attractive awnings for shading.

Mura Mura Osteria (near Calle Granada)

Pork main course in Mura Mura Osteria in Malaga

This is a fantastic little Italian restaurant (reservations are a must given the size) with excellent staff. The chef visited with us after our meal and I get the impression that he is someone who loves his work and takes great pride in cooking for restaurant guests. We had a starter between us and a main each.

Unfortunately I the food was so good that I forget to take pics!! I also started with a glass of beer but once the starter came out I ordered wine as I knew it would go so well and much better than with the beer.

I would recommend sitting in the restaurant as the street outside can be a little bit busy with taxis from time to time.

Bodeguita La Mar de Bueno (near the Mercado Central de Atarazanas)

This place is rough and ready and I would say we had a “Sea/Sea food, Eat food” type of experience here. Drinks are ordered at the bar and then you go to the fish counter at the end where you can select your prawns (gambas / shrimp), crab or scallops where it gets weighed and plated and then handed to you. We ate on a barrel outside where we peeled and ate the gambas (head is on them!) and then threw the shells in a metal bucket. I loved this place!

I highly recommend this place as it felt very authentic. I also think the fish is really fresh as it is located right beside the Malaga Market.

La Casa del Perro

Located on Calle Hernán Ruiz, gracious hosts Ana & Federico pride themselves on serving natural wines and delicious home made vegetarian and meat dishes. This is a charming little restaurant and we had a lovely evening of tapas, wine and beer here. Traditional dishes can be enjoyed and we were happily assisted by Ana in going through the options to select our food. I highly recommend this place for something a little different and special in a relaxed informal setting.

Cafe Ocho

This is my absolute favorite in Malaga but there are so many that that changes all the time! You will have to book ahead and it can be hard to get a reservation. After dinner here, my wife and I would then go for ice cream in Casa Mira right beside it

EDIT - As of Summer 2024, Ocho is currently closed and relocating from where it was sited in Malaga

Aire

“Aire” is a wow restaurant. Located on Paseo de Redding it is an upmarket eaterie with friendly staff who take you through the menu and make suggestions on what to order - particularly in regard to what to share which is of course the beauty of tapas. It’s a very attractive place both inside and out and while we sat outside just off the street it was a serene night out in their garden. It’s ever so slightly off the beaten track being a short walk outside of the City Centre (about 10/15 mins) but worth going to if you are looking for a place away from the busy hoardes.

El Gallo Ronco

Quite possibly the best fried aubergine/egg plant (berenhenas) can be found here!

My top 3 Coffee Spots in Malaga

1. Parisnack

2. Haagen Daz at the Marina (unfortunately now closed)

3. El Mortel

PIGSY Art off to new homes /  by PIGSY

PIGSY Paintings on the move

I know many of the readers of this blog are always interested to hear of sales of PIGSY paintings and to find out where they will be hung next. As I’ve written before, my work is in art collections all over the world in countries including Ireland, Spain, the UK, Singapore, Czech Republic and the USA. You can see many of the artworks that are now in private collections on this listing on my website.

Two paintings have sold in recent times and I am glad to give an update here.

“Marching in the Evening”

1145mm H x 1460mm W Mixed Media on Canvas

This piece was originally shown at PIGSY’s “Catharsis” show in Kenmare Butter Market.

After viewing privately in my art studio in Dublin, it was bought by an art collector who is based between London and Dublin, however the collector intends to hang this piece in his home in Dublin.

Many of the pieces in the Kenmare “Catharsis” show were based on or started with a piece of PIGSY punk poetry. This piece was no different!

I sit in the evening,
marching,
saying I am going to be great, and,
why can’t everyone else see what I see?
I wake in the morning seeing what they see.................
nothing.

“Vertical Garda”

550mm H x 460mm W Mixed Media on Canvas

It always amazes me how specific art works make a connection with a specific person and the right painting ends up in the hands of whoever is truly meant to be the owner. “Vertical Garda” is one of these pieces that serendipitously is with a collector in the USA now after being shipped from Ireland.

Private PIGSY Art Viewings

As mentioned above, I can show my art work privately in my home studio. If you are interested in any of my pieces, they can be searched on the PIGSY website and then you can contact me to have an in-person viewing of the pieces that you are interested in.

Scam Art Emails - a warning to artists, and everyone else too! /  by PIGSY

Know your scam art emails!

As we all know scam emails and scam text messages are commonplace in our digital lives. Unfortunately scammers are very sophisticated and know exactly what to say and how to engage people in a way that very sadly means that people can and do fall for their scams easily.

We have all heard of stories of people falling for scams and sometimes losing a lot of money through the scam.

Art Scam Warnings

I am of the opinion that scams should be written about as much as possible and information of how to be alert to scams should be widely circulated.

Thankfully I have never fallen for an art scam email but artists need to be aware that they can be the targets of scams and because of this I am highlighting one of many art scam emails that I have received along with pointers about how to look for signs and recognize why it is a scam email along with what marks to look out for.

The email that I am focusing on below, is possibly one of the more believable scam emails that I have received as normally they are badly written with bad grammar and littered with spelling mistakes or strange phrasings of words.

Art Scam Email Analysis

Here’s my analysis of a recently received Art Scam Email with 5 Red Flags or signs to look for:

  1. Generic Title

  2. Email is not addressed to you or to anyone in particular

  3. Urgency or Immediacy to buy your art

  4. Requests for freely available information

  5. Strange budget figures

Art Scam Email: Red Flag 1 - Generic Email Title

As you can see here, the title of the email is very generic. Normally when I receive an email from a serious and authentic art collector they will have a less generic email title. Sometimes they will have the name of the art work they are interested in, in the email title box or quite regularly it might be something like “Hello Pigsy” in the title box but generally it will not be something non-specific like “Painting” as it is in this scam email.

Art Scam Email: Red Flag 2 - Email is not addressed specifically to artist

As you can see this email is not addressed to anyone. This alone should be setting off alarm bells, as it would indicate that the email was sent to numerous email addresses at once, with the hope that someone will fall for the scam and respond. If you do respond, it would be at this point that they would probably use your name and address with you directly which would lure you in further and give you more confidence to believe that it is an authentic email, but ultimately you would end up being scammed.

Art Scam Email: Red Flag 3 - Urgency around the purchase

This is a clever element to the scam (did I mention that scammers are very sophisticated?!). As you can see in this email, there is an urgency regarding the purchase because it is being bought for a wedding anniversary gift. The scammer plays on the desires of artists to make sales by indicating they need to take action or do something immediately. The use of the word immediately is a psychological trick that causes people to immediately respond to the email and get lured in to falling for the scam, rather than taking the time to analyse the email and assess whether it is a scam.

Art Scam Email: Red Flag 4 - Requests for freely available information

The fourth red flag for scam emails is the request for freely available information. You can see that in this email the scammers look for information about prices, sizes and availability. This information is all available on my website and it indicates that this was a generic email that was sent to lots of email addresses with the intent to lure someone to engage and then succumb to the scam. Genuine art collectors view items on my website and then contact me and engage with me about them. Requests for freely available information can indicate that there is no genuine or authentic interest in your art and again that is was sent to multiple emails.

Art Scam Email: Red Flag 5 - A budget that ranges from low to high or covers a lot of bases

As you can see there are lots of red flags in this particular email that should make everyone stop and think whether it is a scam. However, probably the most obvious one is where the budget is mentioned and it is two figures that are nowhere close to each other.

Lots of art collectors, who make contact with me about my paintings through email, will mention their budget. However, it is not done in this strange manner but will generally be said in a way like this “my budget is about $2,000-$2,500” or “I really like X piece but my budget is $xxx so doesn’t quite stretch to that particular piece”. As you can see there is a difference here - the scammers budgets are pie in the sky with random figures plucked from nowhere and inserted in the email. While an authentic art collector, if they mention budget, sets out a figure in a serious manner with reasoning and consideration behind it.

Watch out for scam emails!

There is lots of great information online about scam emails so do a google search before you respond to any email that seems a little suspect.

Personally, I think that if something seems to be too good to be true you should slow down and think hard before responding and engaging. A true, authentic and interested party will follow up with a second email or a call if they don’t receive a response to their first email as they will presume that their email was missed.

In particular if you are starting out in your art career, and you are obviously very keen to sell your art, (and of course it is always very exciting when someone contacts you about your work) I urge you to stop and think, and be wary of art scams as they are very common. Ultimately an art scam could cause you to lose both money along with a valuable piece of your art, and this is a position that no artist wants to be in.

Hopefully after reading this blog post, as was my aim, artists will be wise to scams and after seeing all the info I have provided you will know how to spot a scam and can avoid falling for one by investigating further and not rushing to respond.

By outlining the anatomy of a scam email, I’ve clearly given pointers or the red flags you should be wise to. Please do add other red flags in the comments box below!

How does the scam play out?

You are probably wondering how it exactly is a scam, after all they are offering you money for your art. These scams generally play out in two ways.

The most basic way it plays out is that they send you a check and then when it looks like the check has cleared in your bank account, you send them the art work. However, weeks after you have sent the painting, you will receive a call from your bank to let you know that the check could not be cleared and it has bounced. You basically end up with no money and your art work is gone (and the scammers will be uncontactable).

The second way that the scam plays out (and this is the more likely one, as they really want money and don’t actually want your art) is that they will agree to buy a piece from you for a particular price with arrangements to follow about a courier/collection agent who will call to you to pick up the art work. But when they send you the check it will be for more than what was the agreed price of the painting - they will give some reason like their agent made a mistake with the check. They will then ask you to send them back the excess money (probably a few hundred dollars / euros) when the check clears. You will do this when it looks like the check clears. But again a few weeks later you will receive a call from your bank to say the check could not be processed through the clearing house and the check has bounced. You will end up having lost the “excess” money that you returned to the scammer. With this scam, you won’t actually send the art work (because they don’t want it - and this in itself should be another red flag) because they will have given some story to you about working overseas and their agent will get in contact with you shortly in order to make arrangements to collect the art. All highly suspicious!

There may be other ways that this scam plays out. If you know of other ways that the scam works, please leave a comment in the box below so that all my readers can be aware.

Be alert and recognize scams

So as you can see there are lots of opportunities to spot the red flags that indicate scams. All you need to do is be wise to them, keep yourself informed and step back and don’t engage if you think there is anything suspicious about interest that you receive in your art. Be internet savvy and always look for red flags,

The other piece of advice is that if you do happen to fall for a scam you should contact your bank as soon as you realise something is amiss. Your bank may be able to offer assistance and may know ways of getting your money back.

Thankfully I’ve never been scammed like this, but if I was I would want to make sure that no one else gets scammed. So the other thing I would do is I would tell as many people as possible about these type of scams in order to prevent the scams continuing. It’s the reason why I wrote this blog because I think artists should look out for each other and help each other in anyway.

We are a community so let’s keep our members safe and unharmed. So if you know of any other scams that target artists, you can write a comment in the box below to spread the word and warn others. The only way these scammers will stop is if the scam stops working, And the only way the scam will stop working is if people learn to recognize it as a scam. So spread the word!

Edit - June 2022, another possible scam email received

Check out the strange wording about how they stormed on to some of my artwork. What does this even mean?! A definite red flag and the need to be alert to wether this email is authentic or a scam.

Another thing that should raise an alarm is the vagueness in regards to the art work that they like - you can pretty much see that it is a generic email that was sent out to a lot of artists.

So all I can say is, artists beware and always look out for red flags in regard to email scams!

Further Edit March 2023

The PIGSY email is regularly receiving what are fairly certainly scam emails, in fact I get them so regularly that I know they are definitely scams as they pretty much word for word identical.

A further scam I’ve started seeing a rise in is where suposed art collectors approach you to buy a piece of your work as an NFT, even though you are not selling it as an NFT. The gist of it seems to be that they offer you a very high price for a piece of your art (they don’t even specify which one(!) - which as of course you know after reading this blog, is a major red flag, with you only having to pay minting or gas fees. The sites that you are directed to are either dodgy platforms that don’t mint your NFT but instead just rob your money. Or the other variation is that they work for the minting platform and after you pay for your work to be minted the offer to buy it disappears. Either way you lose money so it is to be avoided.

If it seems to good to be true….

So I will end here with the mantra “If it seems to good to be true”. It’s something to always stop and consider and before you go any further to go make a search online in order to prevent yourself getting caught up in a dodgy art scam and loosing money or even worse some of your precious original artworks. There is lots of info online written on various artists personal website and also artist professional body website including the Visual Artists Ireland.

Furthermore, you can prevent other artists from getting involved in art scams, so spread the word of any dodgy emails or social media messages that you receive to other artists. Scammers will target and contact you in any way that they can, so beware of unsolicited messages on social media and always be alert and on the lookout for scams. A good way to do this is having the starting point of thinking about whether “Is this too good to be true”!

Irish Squash Open 2022 in Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club /  by PIGSY

Irish Squash Open 2022

Poster advertising the Irish Squash Open 2022 featuring artwork by dyslexic artist PIGSY. The poster outlines the dates in April for the Squash event and has an image of PIGSY's painting "Squash Soldiers"

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!)

A linear art print by PIGSY is pictured in a cream coloured frame with large border.

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.

Dyslexia Canada shares the PIGSY Film /  by PIGSY

PIGSY Film is shared by Dyslexia Canada on their Social Media Channels

A snip of the Dyslexia Canada Facebook page showing that they shared the PIGSY Dyslexia movie

A big thank you to Dyslexia Canada who shared the PIGSY film on their Facebook and Twitter accounts. Sharing the PIGSY documentary to their audience in Canada helps get my story of being an Irish artist with dyslexia out to a wider audience in order inspire and help people with dyslexia.

The film by Mike Andrews shows the challenges of living with dyslexia and what it is like to be stigmatised and put down as a child. The film however is uplifting and inspiring as it shows how I overcame the challenges and have gone on to have two successful careers as both an award winning architect and highly respected artist in Ireland and beyond with art collectors from Spain, USA, Singapore, UK and beyond adding my art works to their art collections.

Hope and Inspiration for those with Dyslexia

A snip of Dyslexia Canada's twitter page showing them sharing the PIGSY dyslexia film

And although it is challenging to live with dyslexia and also it can be difficult at times to share my story and reveal parts of my self to the word, I know that I can do good and help others to overcome challenges and help them succeed while living with dyslexia - I continually share my story of my life with dyslexia to give hope to others.

I now share the film here again, for you to enjoy. Check it out below!

“PIGSY” short documentary featuring Irish Artist PIGSY

PIGSY on Instagram & Youtube /  by PIGSY

PIGSY Social Media - Youtube & Instagram

I’ve written before about which Social Media platforms I use which includes Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Of late, I have been mainly using Instagram because it is works so well for my art given the type of visual platform that it is.

A yellow graffiti-esque street art style of painting

I’ve been wanting to up my Instagram game and utilise the platform for all that it can offer to an artist.- in essence it can be used as a platform to share your portfolio of work.

PIGSY Instagram Reels

So this weekend, I set about doing a bit of research as to what way I could improve on the images I put up on Instagram and also what I can share in addition to images. From doing research, I can now see that Instagram is very much about reels and video content. Adding art video content is something new to me so for the moment I am experimenting with the different music and effects that I can add to the videos. It’s all a bit of fun at the moment but as I learn more I can take it a bit more seriously and use the new tools I have learned in order to build my follower numbers on the PIGSY Instagram.

To see more images on the PIGSY Instagram, you can give a follow here.

PIGSY Videos on Youtube

The PIGSY Youtube channel has been in existence for awhile but I’ve only really used it sporadically. I’ve mainly used it for online exhibitions in the past but I intend to use it for the PIGSY podcast which I am starting to plan. IT’s going to be a podcast about creativity, art and dyslexia which I think there will be massive interest in. The podcast concept is in it’s infancy but I am currently looking at the set up for it before I begin to start scripting it, along with lining up well known creatives with dyslexia to be be part of different shows or to be interviewed for the podcast. It’s always exciting to have new projects to be working on. For the moment, I am uploading video shorts and reels from Instagram on to youtube. It’s good to have them on both platforms and I think they will reach two different audiences this way.

Here’s my latest reel, hot off the press, and uploaded to Youtube

"Squash Soldiers" - a very special commissioned print /  by PIGSY

“Squash Soldiers”

A framed print of an art work about squash players that includes a crowd watching the squash game - the heads in the crowd were created using a squash racquet as a stencil template

“Squash Soldiers” now available as a print

Back in 2019, I blogged about a large scale piece of art that I was commissioned to do. That artwork was “Squash Soldiers” and it now proudly hangs in Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club on Appian Way in Dublin. Creating such a significant piece of art and seeing it hung in this exclusive venue is one of the highlights of my art career. It was an exciting piece to work on from conception to creation.

It’s a serious piece but there are fun elements within that squash players will enjoy such as the fact that I created the heads in the crowd by using a squash racquet as a stencil. Fun for sure!

The painting has been very well received and I always enjoy when someone refers to it when I visit the tennis club. However one of the greatest things happened of late when I was approached by someone who commissioned a print of this art work with a custom frame. This made me immensely happy and I was glad to get straight to work to create this very special piece for a very special person.

A PIGSY art print on a table with a custom frame

Custom Frame, as specified by PIGSY

Due to the proportions of the original artwork the print is long and linear so it very much needed a bespoke frame in a size that enhanced the look of the art. I drew a plan for the print and the frame and it was fabricated by the very talented Jake in Picture Bloc Framing Shop which conveniently just happens to be next door to my studio!

As well as specifying the dimensions of the frame I chose a specific frame color that enhances the bold, bright and vivid colors in the print. The concept behind the lighter color of the background is that it is intended to represent the bright whiteness of the squash court and to draw the viewer in to the action of the squash players and their highly contested game.

The actual print was left in the capable hands of Jim in Inspirational Arts (if you are ever there, tell them PIGSY sent you!) and after proofing was printed on high quality fine art paper. Luckily the printer is right next door to the frame shop so I conveniently walked from one to the other!

PIGSY “Squash Soldiers” a painting about the art of the game of Squash!

As a squash player and an artist, I like to think that this art work is a cross over between the art of squash playing and the game of art. Having watched games by players at the top of their game I can attest to the “art” and skill of these players (if you are reading, you know who you are!) and with the positioning of the original artwork at the back of the main court in Fitzwilliam, there is literally art going on from the front to the back of the room.

It’s painted in a style that is very different to my regular PIGSY style and this is because of the nature of the commission and the fact that it was a “pet project” and also the location of where it was going to hang. It was an honour to be asked to paint a work for public display in Fitzwilliam Tennis Club and it also gave me huge satisfaction to paint about my passion of squash. The preparation work was really interesting and brought back so many great memories of some of the great squash games I have watched along with the incredible squash players I know. Some of these highlights, of my life in squash, are captured in the painting along with certain people who had an impact on me or on the game of squash are represented within. Take a look - you might spot yourself!!!

Contact me by email to know more about this art print, or for further details and frame size if you are interested in one of these very special, very limited, PIGSY art prints.

With shipping worldwide available, drop me a line on pigsy.art@gmail.com for more information

Wish & Pop: Seville, Spain /  by PIGSY

“Wish & Pop” is now open!

Friday 4th of February 2022 at 6pm

Wish & Pop Contemporary Art Gallery

Sevilla C/Baños, 43

Wish & Pop es un nuevo espacio en Sevilla donde puedes encontrar arte contemporáneo, de artistas de la localidad y más allá. Se define como una 'Galería de Conceptos' porque habrá arte y diseño en muchos formatos. La inauguración de la galería es a las 18.00 horas del viernes 4 de febrero con el patrocinio de San Miguel Cervezas!

En colaboración con La Casa Amarilla, estoy orgullosa de tener mis obras expuestas en "Wish & Pop".

¡“Wish & Pop” ya está abierto!

Wish & Pop Contemporary Art Gallery

43 Calle Baños, Seville

Wish & Pop is a new space in Seville where you can find contemporary art, from local artists and beyond. It is defined as a 'Gallery of Concepts' because there will be art and design in many formats. The opening of the gallery is at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, February 4, sponsored by San Miguel Cervezas!

In collaboration with La Casa Amarilla, I am proud to have my works exhibited in "Wish & Pop".

You can follow “Wish & Pop” on Instagram here

"Gloria" featuring PIGSY: A Slow Lane Gallery and Shoeless Foot Productions Collaboration /  by PIGSY

“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 here. 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!

PIGSY Art available in USA /  by PIGSY

PIGSY Art now available in Florida, USA

A white building (an art gallery) on Duval Street in Key West, Florida with a blue sky and a cyclist in front of the building with no cars on the road

Proud to announce that PIGSY Artworks are now available in Key West, Florida in Effusion Gallery on the world famous Duval Street.

The PIGSY showcase is a collection of PIGSY artworks selected by Curator John Bradford, With many of these artworks being exhibited for the very first time, they are on show 7 days a week in Effusion Art Gallery.

PIGSY in Effusion Gallery - in the Key West Citizen

PIGSY and his artwork featured in The Citizen, Key West

The PIGSY art showcase was featured in the Key West Citizen which is the local Key West Newspaper and is available in both digital version and also in traditional hard copy newspaper format from newspaper vending machines at locations all over the island.

Effusion Gallery, 701 Duval Street, Key West, FL

Effusion Gallery is located at 701 Duval Street in Key West. Phone Effusion Gallery on 305-735-4345 for further information (pricing and sizes) about the PIGSY showcase.

The Saint Hotel, Key West

Oh and here’s a little tip if you are planning a trip to Key West in the near future - my hotel of choice is The Saint on Eaton Street! General Manager Abraham Cox along with his assistant Amy Bebbington are gracious hosts in this charming boutique hotel, close to all the Key West Action, just off Eaton Street. If you visit, tell them PIGSY sent you……and be sure to sample Paul’s amazing world famous (well maybe Key West famous) Bloody Mary at the bar!

Contact me!

To find out more about available art, drop me a line, or watch the short video about my recent art exhibition in Dublin, Ireland