 |
A virtual cornucopia of art images and multimedia art experiences by visual artists James Hayes & Lorraine Whelan in an online gallery format.
Below are links to the newest artwork available to view in our online art gallery website, a frequently updated "Spotlight" segment to highlight artwork from various exhibitions, as well as links to our other online art work to the left. These show artwork from artist James Hayes' eclectic approach to sculpture, bronze casting, and installation art. There are also many examples of artist Lorraine Whelan's artwork, featuring paintings, drawings, and many other art works since 1989.
|
| **NEW** Search Feature |
 Can't find what you were looking for? Try our Google Custom Search Engine to find what you want in the lorjames.com website.
If the search just refreshes this page, try variations of the word until something comes up. For example "cows" produces results, but not "cow" - don't ask me why...
|
| Coming of Age |
 |
Lorraine Whelan's 2005 exhibition of artwork from the past 20 years. |
| Umha Aois |
 |
James Hayes' work with the Umha Aois (Irish for 'Bronze Age') experimental bronze casting project. |
|
| Per Cent for Art Commission |
 |
**NEW** "Gorse" a mosaic created by artist Lorraine Whelan. Lorraine was commissioned under the Per Cent for Art scheme to create this new artwork for Enniscorthy Community Hospital. |
| Evidence 2007 |
 |
Images of James Hayes' new artwork "Evidence 2007" , a permanent site specific commission created for the new Garda Station in Oranmore, Co. Galway. |
| For Elise |
 |
A collaborative exhibition of art work by Lorraine Whelan & James Hayes related to the birth of our daughter Elise. This exhibition artwork includes paintings on canvas & handmade paper by Lorraine, & James' work includes original prints, wall-mounted metal sculptures, an installation of sculpture & video, & small-scale bronze and ceramic sculptures. |
|
This website was last updated 24 May, 2008.
Designed & maintained by James Hayes |
The art logo links back to this page 
|
| LORRAINE WHELAN : BACKGROUND |
 I was born in Toronto, Canada, of Irish immigrant parents, something which I feel has a great influence on both my life and work as I am fascinated with my heritage. In 1988, several years after my university graduation (York University, Toronto), I decided to move to Ireland, where I am a resident Irish artist.
For nearly 20 years, I have tended to create “bodies” of work starting with a large group of emotional, figurative works on paper which comprised my first solo exhibition in Dublin in 1989.
The study of dreams played a large part in my earlier work, and many works developed from the use of dream imagery.
My next solo exhibition, "My Tower of Strength", consisted of a series of paintings and drawings which were physically based on the architecture of stone building ruins (common throughout Ireland), yet, through style and colour, sought to express something more than the “actual”.
For some time now, I have become increasingly aware that my art work is inspired by changes in my environment and circumstance, and I am happiest with my work when it is challenged by such changes. For instance, my involvement with the Art & Industry Placement Programme in 1995, led to the development of a new way for me to look at art and materials: in this program I became involved with the workers in a sterile, pharmaceutical factory and sought to explore the humanity within this environment. In addition, I personally realised that a temporary approach to artmaking was just as valid as a permanent approach. The resulting exhibition, Hand in Hand, was created on material familiar to the factory workers (enamel on plastic sheeting), the imagery was based directly on the workers, and the exhibition was hung in the staff canteen for the enjoyment of all the staff. While I do not believe this is the only way to work, the entire experience was extremely satisfying and had an important effect on my methods of working and outlook on creation. Immediately following the end of this project, I began working on a double installation, Pastures Green and Dreaming for Dad, an exhibition which consisted of tiny, elegant paintings on hand made paper and large, expressive paintings on domestic net curtains.
Since then, I have worked on other projects in response to a specific brief, site, concept, or combination of these. While I have found that my artistic life functions well when pushed outside the almost monastic studio mould, I do consider myself primarily a painter.
In 1997 I began work on sketches and drawings for a series of paintings on canvas based on flowers. Initially, the sketches were made as research for a temporary commission in Dublin, using materials such as acetate and transparent adhesive coloured film. As a temporary body of work, the flowers were to be colourful and stylised, appropriate to the chosen media and site. As paintings on canvas, my concerns were to express a joy and richness appropriate to the subject. The resulting body of work, Blessings, was exhibited in Bray and in Ballyjamesduff in 1999 and 2000 respectively.
With the birth of my daughter in 2002 the desire for the expression of joy in my work is paramount. During the first few years of motherhood, I created a series of mixed media works on paper and canvas to celebrate my daughter's life. This work, For Elise, was exhibited in August 2005 at the Courthouse Arts Centre, Tinahely in a joint exhibition with sculptor James Hayes (my husband and father to Elise). My most current body of work, tentatively entitled Homebody Child, continues to explore the themes of motherhood, childhood and domesticity.
I also write critical reviews for art magazines. CIRCA is the main visual arts magazine in Ireland, and one of my reviews appears in their online version of the magazine, RECIRCA. |
|
| JAMES HAYES : BACKGROUND |
 I was born in the USA, raised in Ottawa & Toronto, Canada where I attended CTS for a 3 year Fine Art Diploma. More recently I completed my Fine Art Degree at Dun Laoghaire Institute, and a Master of Science Degree in Multimedia Systems at Trinity College Dublin.
In my sculptural work I use objects, images, colours, and materials that I consider both simple and iconic, and I combine them to suggest ideas, personal histories, emotions, memories and dreams.
My most recent artworks focus on my very new experiences as a father, standing in the reflected light of the classic mother and child. These figurative bronze & ceramic sculptures were exhibited as part of the "For Elise" exhibition with artist Lorraine Whelan.
I experiment with photography, printing images onto various materials (most notably glass, metal and painted surfaces) and incorporating them into a sculptural context. I enjoy the craft of woodworking and in "Tables/Tableaux" I used traditional lathe-work and carpentry.
I have been involved in a number of projects which are experimental in nature and direction, thus freeing me from the usual studio approach to art making. The Emo Court Artists Symposium 2005 gave me the opportunity to create an immense land art work "Evidence". This was a fantastic opportunity for me, as how often do you get a chance to recreate such a large area into a piece of artwork?
Both the "Home" exhibition and the "Temple Bar Street Art Symposium" were projects geared directly towards raising awareness of the issues of life in and on the streets.
The "Umha Aois" projects, five of which I have helped to organise, are bronze casting symposia with the purpose of rediscovering ancient casting technologies and as such are very experimental in approach. As an active member of the Umha Aois Organising Committee I was committed to building on the successes of this experimental approach and to empowering my fellow artists through the experiences of the symposia. I still manage the Umha Aois website, as well as participating on the ongoing projects as an artist and technician.
Recently I began experimenting with using video in my sculptural and installation work. I have also begun to use the techniques discovered through the Umha Aois symposia to create components of my artwork, and am pleased with the results.
In 2005 I completed my first large scale commission, a fountain entitled "Ball!", for Jim Hayes in Iowa City. This consisted of 3 bronze figures and a bronze ball, arranged in a circular fountain.
I have also had several opportunities to create truly large scale work. At the "Emo Court Artsts Symposium 2005" I created an image of my fingerprint measuring 120 metres by 80 meters by burning the image into a harvested field. At the 2006 "Sculpture in Context" exhibiton at the National Botanic Gardens Dublin, I created another large scale image of my fingerprint. I used decorative white gravel on dark soil, along a riverbank measuring 35 meters by 5 meters.
Overall, I would say my approaches as an artist to my artwork are diverse. |
|
|
Artwork by Lorraine Whelan & James Hayes
