This works is alive. It captures the alchemic interactions of botanical inks, UV sensitive paint and copper oxide. ⁠

⁠

Firstly, a pallet of neutral tones was created from bluebell, nettle, wild sage and buttercup foraged from a farm in Cork. The pallet was brightened with the introduction of copper oxide, which brewed over months from copper scraps from the workshops on the farm. The deeper blue tones were achieved using a UV sensitive mixture (cyanotype) that reacted with sunlight to create a cobalt blue. Finally, the different elements coalesced on the canvas to produce stunning, energetic reactions. ⁠

⁠

There is a keen sense of alchemy occurring on the surface of this work. In Opalescence, I wanted the hues to blend in a gentle way. I dripped, poured and blushed the inks onto the canvas allowing the hues to soak and blend across the surface. As the colours seep into the textile they settle into their own rhythm, as they do in nature. ⁠

This work was commissioned and is unavailable to purchase. To enquire about available works head to my works for sale page

Cyanotype, copper verdigris, copper oxide, soda, citric acid on canvas
140 x 100cm

I have expanded my process-led investigations through a deep material inquiry into the process of painting with sunlight.  More specifically, through the use of cyanotype exposures. Cyanotype is a process whereby surfaces are oxidised by UVA radiation when exposed to sunlight, leaving behind a deep blue colour (literally painted by the sunlight). It is a sustainable, organic chemical mixture of ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide commonly seen in architectural blueprints, though perhaps more commonly recognised as the process pioneered by botanist Anna Atkins to produce her 1894 images of algae specimens. The process of creating ecological ‘blueprints’ through painting with sunlight captures the photosynthetic agency of landscapes.

The resulting surface textures and colourations are borne from expansive experimentation with mineralogical reactions and oxidisation. The red and yellow tones seen in these works are created through the addition of alkali and base minerals. I further extend the aesthetic, expressive range of my practice through the addition of my handmade pigments and inks. I douse, drip, and submerge colour, tweaking ph levels, and allowing the surface to come alive. The surface of the works fissure, colour crystallizes and splinters into nucleated patterns creating exciting and visually stimulating images that engage viewers in both scientific and organic processes. Active mark-making acts as a vehicle to explore concepts of ‘mapping’ solar, tidal and elemental energy.

The paintings in this new collection -‘Between Being and Becoming’ explore the concept of thresholds - the liminal spaces where transformation occurs. The paintings in this series portray moments of tension found where one state of being transitions into another. These works inquisite the borders we encounter in our personal, cultural, and geographical landscapes.

The abstract forms and textures in these pieces evoke both macro and micro views of land - aerial perspectives of vast terrains and close-up examinations of weathered surfaces. Shifting focus between scale in this way asks us to broaden our views of space and place.

When painting, as I apply ink in layers, I hold myself in delicate balance between control and surrender of form. As the pigments and inks evaporate, floating charred particles roam and sidle their way into place much like dust or sand would on the air and earth. I punctuated the monochrome pallet with occasional bursts of pastel colour, the glinting side stories that line the edge of transition, informing our intuition as we move through moments. 

In some works, distinct lines are cut into the paper, causing an interruption to the image. These delineations speak to the human tendency to categorize and separate, as we search for familiarity and meaning. Yet the organic flow between sections challenges these rigid divisions, suggesting a permeability of the borders we often perceive as fixed.

The muted palette is created from eucalypt/gum bark, banksia cones and bones. The eucalypt tree is self-shedding, dropping its limbs and outer layers of bark as it grows. I gathered banksia cones on the coast, where seasonal fire had scorched through the landscape, raising temperatures high enough for the banksia seeds to be released from the cones. I collected ccattered bones from the valley landscape. I charred them in a wood stove until the calcite blackened, and ground them into a fine pigment.

The natural materials move through their own process of being and becoming. In my hands, the cyclical nature of these materials, transformed by the elements form a dialogue between creation and destruction. 

Ultimately, this series speaks to the transformative potential of threshold spaces - in our personal journeys, our cultural interactions, and our relationship with the physical world around us.

Flume 2022
Flare 2022
Bathed in the Scatterlight i 2022
Bathed in the Scatterlight ii 2022

These work evoke the space between interior and exterior spaces. The canvas surface is folded in on itself. Once exposed to sunlight only the outer facing folds are oxidised by UV, leaving the interior sections blank. The deep Prussian blue form emerges from within the work.

I have expanded my process-led investigations through a deep material inquiry into the process of painting with sunlight.  More specifically, through the use of cyanotype exposures. Cyanotype is a process whereby surfaces are oxidised by UVA radiation when exposed to sunlight, leaving behind a deep blue colour (literally painted by the sunlight). It is a sustainable, organic chemical mixture of ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide commonly seen in architectural blueprints, though perhaps more commonly recognised as the process pioneered by botanist Anna Atkins to produce her 1894 images of algae specimens. The process of creating ecological ‘blueprints’ through painting with sunlight captures the photosynthetic agency of landscapes.

Azure Bloom
Cyano, Copper verdigris, soda on canvas
70 x 50cm

The resulting surface textures and colourations are borne from expansive experimentation with mineralogical reactions and oxidisation. The red and yellow tones seen in these works are created through the addition of alkali and base minerals. I further extend the aesthetic, expressive range of my practice through the addition of my handmade pigments and inks. I douse, drip, and submerge colour, tweaking ph levels, and allowing the surface to come alive. The surface of the works fissure, colour crystallizes and splinters into nucleated patterns creating exciting and visually stimulating images that engage viewers in both scientific and organic processes. Active mark-making acts as a vehicle to explore concepts of ‘mapping’ solar, tidal and elemental energy.

This commission was an exercise in alchemy. The commission brief was to create a large artwork that showcases chemical reactions, scientific processes and the colours they produce as they alchemise. ⁠

⁠We began with experiments with iron tablets, copper sulphate permitabs. I created a spectrum of turquoise colours using pharmacy grade copper sulphate as well as my studio-extracted copper oxide and cupric oxide. ⁠

The inks are separated into two layers, a top dark blue transparent layer, and a heavier milky blue layer that sinks to the bottom. When mixed they produce a beautiful translucent ink that seems to bend and move with the light. ⁠

Then we employed the use of the cyanotype process whereby two metal salt chemicals are mixed producing a UV sensitive liquid. This is the exposed to sunlight which oxidises the mix and turns it cobalt blue. ⁠

The final canvas piece was the surface on which various chemicals were able to react and achemise, creating this energetic artwork. ⁠

To enquire about available works head to my works for sale page.

⁠OF ELEMENTAL ENERGY⁠
Cobalt (Ferric Ammonium Citrate, Potassium Ferricyanide, UV) Copper Sulphate, Cupric Oxide , Vinegar on Cotton Canvas⁠
110 x 140cm⁠

Candescence 2022
Cyanotype, copper verdigris, soda on canvas
45 x 45cm

Luminescence 2022
Cyanotype, copper verdigris, soda on canvas
46 x 40cm

I have expanded my process-led investigations through a deep material inquiry into the process of painting with sunlight.  More specifically, through the use of cyanotype exposures. Cyanotype is a process whereby surfaces are oxidised by UVA radiation when exposed to sunlight, leaving behind a deep blue colour (literally painted by the sunlight). It is a sustainable, organic chemical mixture of ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide commonly seen in architectural blueprints, though perhaps more commonly recognised as the process pioneered by botanist Anna Atkins to produce her 1894 images of algae specimens. The process of creating ecological ‘blueprints’ through painting with sunlight captures the photosynthetic agency of landscapes.

The resulting surface textures and colourations are borne from expansive experimentation with mineralogical reactions and oxidisation. The red and yellow tones seen in these works are created through the addition of alkali and base minerals. I further extend the aesthetic, expressive range of my practice through the addition of my handmade pigments and inks. I douse, drip, and submerge colour, tweaking ph levels, and allowing the surface to come alive. The surface of the works fissure, colour crystallizes and splinters into nucleated patterns creating exciting and visually stimulating images that engage viewers in both scientific and organic processes. Active mark-making acts as a vehicle to explore concepts of ‘mapping’ solar, tidal and elemental energy.

Suffused in Sun & Within a Hemic Afterburn
Cyano, copper verdigris, soda on canvas
63 x 43

These works were created in response to the work (specifically the background skies) of WM Turners work ahead of his exhibition ‘The Sun is God’ at the National Gallery of Ireland.

Beginning with the process of cyanotype painting (painting with sunlight) I exposed canvas material soaked in light sensitive liquid to UV rays, which initially turned the surface a deep Prussian blue. Inspired by Turner’s approach to building colour, his use of positive and negative space, and his unusual (often criticised) use of alternative methods of colour production I then explored further oxidisations, allowing colour to emerge and disappear depending on the mineralogical reactions occurring on the surface.

The resulting works evoke a fleeting yet energetic atmosphere which seems to move in and out of focus on the canvas.

This piece looks at the tension that occurs between elements. It was painted in response to a swim through a kelp forest during a storm on the equinox in Port, Donegal. The eye is drawn to the movement across the paper where colour and form are contrasted against each other. The physical application of colour onto the page in quick energetic motions echo the haphazard energy of the storm ravaged kelp forest, pulling and pushing against the swell. Ink pools are apparent on the paper, tracing the motion of liquid as it was painted. Quick spritzed pigment captures the feeling of dancing fractures where light succeeds and fails to permeate.

There is a keen sense of the underwater quality of a rockpool in these works. Colours appear to dance beneath the shimmering surface water. The alchemic reactions of the natural pigment mirror that of the ecosystem of the pool; spotted, dappled textures rising forward, scratched pollups contrasted against layers of sea-slime. The textures draw you in, inviting you to run your hand along the painting.

To see if these works are available to purchase, head over to my available works.

These works invite the viewer to explore the aesthetic of interior and exterior spaces through gentle, gestural strokes. The diptych evokes a breathing quality, inhaling and exhaling in place. There is a feeling of moving forward while ending backwards simultaneously, as in an echo. Ethereal hues are offset by monochromatic strokes and neutral colours. The use of positive and negative space has created a striking composition.

Cotton rag paper has been drenched in water. As the liquid soaked into the fibres it caused the paper to buckle and swell creating undulations across the surface. Charred kelp pigment was then washed onto the paper and sprayed with water which caused them to move across the surface leaving behind trails of pigment. Speckles and sprinkles of earth pigment, kelp and bladderwrack ink were then dropped onto the work. Depending on the viscosity of the drip, the saturation of the paper and the layers of pigment already on the page, each new drip reacted differently, often pooling in the troughs and dips or diffusing into specific areas. The works combine movement and stillness in how the pigment has been applied, allowing the eyes to travel across the terrain of the artwork.

To view available works or to purchase a piece head to my works for sale page .works for sale page

These pieces look at the tension that occurs between elements. They were painted n response to a swim through a kelp forest during equinox in Port, Donegal. The eye is drawn to the distinct line across the canvas where colour and form are pushed against each other, as if from different vistas. The use of negative space adds to a sense of blurring between plains. Water and air pull together at the submerging horizon. Quick blended brushstrokes in oil capture the feeling of dancing fractures where light succeeds and fails to permeate.

30th October - 23 November 2021
Hyde Bridge
Sligo

‘Where we collide’, an exhibition by Sligo based artist Kari Cahill. This process-led body of work invites viewers to experience natural landscapes through the lens of abundant colour locked within ecosystems that are now, or once were, submerged by the ocean.

‘Where we collide’ presents the collaboration between the artist, the studio, and the natural environment through two and three dimensional artworks. Geological land formations that have been shaped by the surge of the sea, tectonic plains that have risen from deep below surface level, and aquatic-ecosystems that are sustained by the changing tides provide the Sligo landscapes where Cahill gathers colour. Approaching the studio as an experimental laboratory Cahill employs processes that are informed by the elemental forces present in the landscape. Heat, pressure and water allow the artist to synthesise organic matter such as limestone, algae and urchins into pigment, paint and ink.

Beyond documenting her process, this body of work opens a dialogue between the artist, the materials, and the landscape. Cahill buries canvas underground allowing the landscape to imprint itself upon the material. She drips, pours and blushes colour onto paper and glass, allowing the hues to soak and blend across the surface. As her colours seep into the fibres of the pages they settle into their own rhythm, as they do in nature. The expressive artworks, seen as a whole, are gentle and balanced. Dappled textures are contrasted against precious details. Viewed up close, the alchemic reactions of the natural pigment echo that of the shoreline’s ecosystem, ultimately creating a keen sense of the environments to which the works respond. ‘Where we collide’ oscillates between scientific alchemy and intuitive mark-making, showcasing a deep material enquiry into oceanic ecosystems and the elemental forces at play in these landscapes.

These works trace the landscape of North Sligo through the pigments and inks derived from natural materials at Raghly, Lissadell, Ballyconnel, Benbulben. There is a contrast between the ancient geological fossils and formations and the slippery soft organic terrains found at rock pools and shorelines. Colour is used as a marker of terrain. Each work responds to the idiosyncrasies of specific colours derived from the landscape as well as the surface it is applied to.

Colour is created through the process of crushing, grinding, charring and boiling natural materials. The works feature a spectrum of hues from iron rich yellow/orange ochres to a pale pallet derived from limestone, urchins and limpets to monochromatic charred kelp. Bladder wrack and kelp are synthesised into inks which allow a contrast in viscosity on the page.

Colour is applied to the page by drowning the surfaces in ink and paint. The surface is Yupo Paper, an interesting synthetic recyclable material that is completely waterproof. Without the ability to absorb into the surface the pigment is left behind after the evaporation process. This creates thin veil-like layers which can blend and bend across the page, gathering and depositing hues and tones as it rolls. The hues find their way around the page settling into their own rhythm as water does in the natural environment. The final drying process appears to suspend the colour between solid and liquid revealing distinct vistas.

Exhibited at The Hyde Bridge, Sligo and The Glucksman Gallery, UCC, Cork.

To enquire if these works are available visit my works for sale page

These pieces are created using the same gestures seen in the process of working with pigments. Pigment and binder are mixed together by moving a glass muller over a glass slab, working the pigment in circular motions. The pigment is then scraped off the slab, ready to be used.

These works trace the landscape of North Sligo through the pigments and inks derived from natural materials at Raghly, Lissadell, Ballyconnel, Benbulben. There is a contrast between the ancient geological fossils and formations and the slippery soft organic terrains found at rock pools and shorelines. Colour is used as a marker of terrain. Each work responds to the idiosyncrasies of specific colours derived from the landscape as well as the surface it is applied to.

Colour is created through the process of crushing, grinding, charring and boiling natural materials. The works feature a spectrum of hues from iron rich yellow/orange ochres to a pale pallet derived from limestone, urchins and limpets to monochromatic charred kelp. Bladder wrack and kelp are synthesised into inks which allow a contrast in viscosity on the page.

To view or purchase available works go to my works for sale page.

These colours were foraged from the area surrounding a Hawthorn Tree which sat in a Ring Fort in Portmarnock. 

The colour locked within the haws, nettles, dock leaf tips, ivy and lichen was extracted through the process of soaking and reducing. The hawthorn twigs were charred in an open fire and then ground down into charcoal. 

All in all, I harnessed 15 colours from the hawthorn and its surroundings. The palette contained deep autumnal hues from muted greens to deep oranges. Interestingly the dock leaf and hawthorn gave off similar colours. The charred hawthorn branches seemed similar to that of oak trees, but perhaps harder to grind into a fine dust.

The interaction of live colour is emphasised as I tweak ph levels and modify the vibrancy using oxides. Iron generally darkens the colour, especially where there is a large amount of tannin in the material. Alum creates a more chalky appearance. The hawthorn ink reacts with the soda and iron to make a plum colour that looks almost blushed onto the surface. The dock and hawthorn are similar when raw, but oxidised the dock turns almost purple to the red of the hawthorn.

As I test each colour solution on paper the drying process often appears to suspend the works between solid and liquid. This connects my work with the ephemeral nature of the landscape.

This series was created hawthorn, walnut, ivy and docktip ink which was modified using soda and iron which allowed a density of colour to bend and meld on the page. The overlapping layers appear to intertwine, gradients coming in and out of focus. Up close detailed alchemic processes are frozen on the page. Iron, Hawthorn and walnut misted together, dappled and speckled. Soft ivy tones dropped into pools. The hawthorn ink reacts with the soda and iron to make a plum colour that looks almost blushed onto the surface. The dock and hawthorn are similar when raw, but oxidised the dock turns almost purple to the red of the hawthorn.

The surface is Yupo Paper, an interesting synthetic recyclable material that is completely waterproof. Without the ability to absorb into the surface the pigment is left behind after evaporation. This creates thin veil-like layers that can blend and bend across the paper, gathering and depositing hues and tones as it rolls. The final drying process appears to suspend the colour between solid and liquid.

To see if these works are available to purchase, head over to my available works.

A site-responsive project on Arannmore Island off the coast of Donegal by Lay of the Land.

Island culture is rooted in the idea that the land has always provided. From the depths of the bogland to the far reaches of the sea there are stories in every nook and cranny. Stories that honour the natural resources abundant in the landscape and encapsulate the industrious nature of islanders.

Sparked by the “community within communities” aspect of Arranmore Island and the unifying force of shared heritage, Lay of the Land invited 4 artists to create an art piece that encapsulates these elements of island life.

We spent two weeks in residence on the island gathering plant material, learning old ways of bygone industries, and engaging with the rich heritage of Arranmore. Through storytelling, conversations with locals and research we captured and catalogued our findings using a travelling lab, enlivening the connection between culture and land.

Over the exhibition, the residents of Arranmore were invited to come and share their knowledge and experiences while engaging with the exhibition of inks and dyes created directly from the landscape. Between the community 250 unique paintings were created over 3 days.

Each contribution was marked by the gesture of tying a knot, thus creating a collective art piece that signifies shared experiences. The knot-piece was left on the island along with an archive of the inks and dyes created.

Over three weeks in Floripa I produced a body of work that investigates “the landscape of experience” of the East Coast of Brazil through the lens of how the Atlantic Ocean has shaped and moulded both the physical topography and the human experience of the land. The work that examined the differences and similarities of two distinct locations, who share an ocean.  The series of paintings I created combined colours, textures and marks to formed a vocabulary which expressed my discovery of the geography and perspectives of Brazil. The residency gave me time to critically engage with artists pursuing work that pushes the boundaries of how we perceive our landscapes. 

To read more about this exhibition, and the research and development of the ideas that led to the work, head over to my notes

I was given the opportunity to install ‘Red Canopy’ in the forest at Another Love Story Festival at Killyon Manor.

The twisting roots and branches of the trees are echoed in the painted strokes, constantly moving upward towards the forest canopy. Immeditately the red hues of the pieces drew out the red tones of the soil. I use gestural movements to react to spaces. I pour, drip, scrape, blush and bruise colour onto the surface of my paintings. Layering textures becomes a way to investigate the relationship between hues and tones. Colours emerge directly from the environment dictating the palette I work with. Colour asks to be seen. The simple application of colour to a surface is nuanced, bridges the gap in our relationship to the environments we inhabit.

The audience moved through the installation guided by their curiosity to keep discovering colours through the disruption of painted surfaces. They were invited to come closer and move around to enjoy the negative space between the trees and the works.

To read more about my process and thought on this artwork head over to my notes.

These works are experimentations in oil; exploring consistencies, stroke and the unintuitive mark making that emerges when oil and spirits meld. Pouring liquid, stretching surfaces around pooling pigment. The surface is Yupo Paper, an interesting synthetic recyclable material which is completely waterproof. Without the ability to absorb into the surface the pigment is left behind after the evaporation process. This creates thin veil like layers which can blend and bend across the page, gathering and depositing hues and tones as it rolls. The final drying process appears to suspend the colour between solid and liquid revealing four distinct vistas.

These works trace the undulations of specific walks/ways through the bogland and hillsides of the North West Irish landscape, specifically at Glanmore Lake, Donegal. The earth sways underfoot, wind trembles through soft bog cotton, and vistas stretch out in vast panoramas. There is a contrast between the ragged cliff faces that crash down into surging Atlantic waves to the west, and the soft rolling mammoth hills stretching back towards the east. Colour is used as a marker of terrain and responds to light and shadow. The use of negative space allows the eye to travel around the painting, reading each gesture on its own, and then as part of a whole.

The works are created using oil paints, both thickly applied and watered down into transparent washes. As the colours blend, new hues emerge adding to the sense of layering.

To see if these works are available to purchase, head over to my available works page.

Oak, taking various forms, is the primary ingredient of this series. First as bark, scorched by fire to make charcoal black, then as ash deposited below the flames, which makes a light cream hue. Oak galls are taken from the young Oak trees and after soaking for months results in a golden brown tint, which, modified with iron, and exposed to oxygen, turns an indelible green black. Tying these together is a deep luscious brown created from walnut husks collected from the forest floor in late autumn.

Sizes range from 28.5 x 38.5cm to 41.5 x 42.5cm.

To purchase these works head over to my available works.

Over three weeks in Floripa I produced a body of work that investigates “the landscape of experience” of the East Coast of Brazil through the lens of how the Atlantic Ocean has shaped and moulded both the physical topography and the human experience of the land. The work that examined the differences and similarities of two distinct locations, who share an ocean.

The series of paintings I created combined colours, textures and marks to formed a vocabulary which expressed my discovery of the geography and perspectives of Brazil. The residency gave me time to critically engage with artists pursuing work that pushes the boundaries of how we perceive our landscapes.

These works vary is size from 100 x 100 cm to a5.

To purchase this work, and for more details, head over to my shop

The process of creating paints and pigments from materials gathered throughout the landscape has allowed me to contrast factory produced colours with a more sustainably centred approach to making. From discarded urban remnants to wild foraged materials I have built up a unique paintbox of colours.

The act of searching for the colours forces me to approach the environment with a bold investigation, and is as much part of the process as the resulting palette.

These shades and hues are drawn from the landscape of Ireland at Arranmore Island and Port in Donegal, Hazelwood Forest in Sligo, Mizen Peninsula in West Cork, Ballingskelligs in Kerry, and the grounds of Killyon Manor, Westmeath.

Sizes range between 26 x 17.5cm and 35.5 x 26cm.

To purchase these works head over to my available works.

SILVA, Knockomagh Wood Nature Reserve, Lough Hyne, West Cork.

Sept 2018

 Rising from the autumn earth up through the negative space between these ancient trees. The contrasting colour brings attention to the richness of the moss covered flora. These works are visual interpretations of the experience of the site on Knockomagh Hill; mirroring the twisted branches and sparks of light thrown between the leaves.

As the viewer moves around the piece the works appear to dance between the trees.

Stretched Canvas, Acrylic Paint, Spray Paint, Eyelets, Builders Twine, Rebar.

Perspex Mirror, Timber Frame. Sky. Land. 

Land Flutes was created collaboratively by Kari Cahill, Anna Wylie, Margie Jean Lewis, Hazel Mc Cague, Emily Robyn Archer and Liliane Puthod. 

Inspired by the wind singing through agricultural steel gates on site the artists set abut creating a sound sculpture that would play the wind vanes. 

Steel Piping. 

The deep, luscious colours seen throughout my work further the evocation of the landscape, allowing the viewer to join me on a journey through an experience. By pulling and dragging colour and texture across the canvas with the same energy felt from the crashing rain, or by manipulating the visceral medium of paint to create a balance of motion, each piece gestures to the presence of a fleeting moment.

This piece is unavailable to purchase. To see more available works head over to my shop.

Time in rural surrounds, isolated to the edge of the Atlantic, allows a deeper experience of the season’s elements. Kari’s most recent series of works are a visual interpretation of these experiences; the winter light’s stark shadows which linger, fading low on the mountainside; the pure vast darkness of an overcast night on the peninsula; wild winds howling through the wet winter grasses.

To purchase this work, and for more details about availability, head over to my shop

My paintings do not focus on a specific site, but rather the experience of a place. They capture a moment marked by a gesture. This direct and intuitive process of energetic mark making allows me to better understand the both the physical vistas of the natural environment as well as the essence of these environments. Through my mark making I have built up a visual vocabulary.

To purchase available work, and for more details, head over to my shop

The energy of the ocean impresses itself against the shore, engraving out its own shape. These work reflect the mapping of places where the ocean has carved itself out of the coast.

Created using carborundum, etching and monoprint printmaking techniques on paper.

16.5 x 14.5cm

To purchase these works head over to my available works.

This is one of a series of works on canvas that highlighted specific colours thrown by light across the landscape of Sligo in mid-summer. I approached this as an exercise in exploring a technique. I wanted to fully engage in the process of applying three distinct layers in various colour combinations.

The works are made up of three components; the white texture background, followed by the messy spirited splash, and finally the slow strong gradient stroke. The gradient colours were chosen by identifying the brightest colour against the deepest colour of the environment at a specific time of day. The slow steady application of the stoke, after the uninhibited gestural splash forces me to shift my thinking, and my hand-eye co-ordination. Each component is intuitive - moving between complete abandon and frenzied focus.

Canvas size ranges from 120 x 80cm to 16 x 22cm.

To purchase this work, and for more details, head over to my shop

Brazil opened a huge amount of questions about my role as an artist, and my responsibility to create work that challenges my audience to change their perspectives. This led to a deep reflection of the sustainability of my work. On a practical level I was forced to examine the tools and materials I use to create my work. Nogalina is a dry mixture of ground walnut shell and is a material which is used through indigenous populations and body paint, and as a wood preservative. It is extracted from between the top two layers of the Walnut. It is water soluble, and is easily prepared. The simplicity of this material juxtaposed against acrylic marked a moment of clarity. I continued to explore this material, which informed the work I was making in response to the landscape of Brazil. The works the emerged from this new exploration were specific to that moment, and that place.

These works are sold unframed. For more information and to purchase please head over to my shop

I was introduced to a beautiful material while living and working in NaCasa. Diego de los Campos, an Uruguayan artist at the house showed me how to slowly mix Nogalina into a fine liquid paste.

Nogalina is the dried husks of walnuts that is soaked and processed into ink which moves in a deliciously smooth way. Mixed with acrylic paint the colour takes on a new life, rolling around the paper like ink, before soaking into the pages.

There is something quite extraordinary yet simple about using colour found in nature.

These are the paintings which came from the experiments with Nogalina while trying to capture the essence of the Florianopolis landscape.

These works are sold unframed and are all a5 size.

To purchase this work, and for more details, head over to my shop

Menu Design // Tanabata dinner by Takashi Miyazaki // Mitchelstown Cave // Clonmel Junction Festival 2016

A collection of japanese inspired textures and images for Tanabata themed dinner.

Date // July 7 2016

Shannon River + The Milk Market // Limerick 

Date // August 2012

Photos // Katie Mooney-Sheppard

Produced as a piece for Gracelands 2012, the closing ceremony of EVA Limerick. Recently having lost the Vicar Street space, Basic Space set about building a vessel in order to lay claim to the waterways and project a future space for their plans and operations.

Sisters was created collaboratively by Kari Cahill, Anna Wylie, Margie Jean Lewis, Hazel Mc Cague, Emily Robyn Archer and Liliane Puthod as part of TOMBOLO, 2016.

Repurposing agricultural by-products, debris and discarded farm materials the artists created a majestic sculpture that honoured the landscape and harked back to notions of celtic warrior women. 

Oxidised Steel Tubing, Discarded Tractor Parts, Steel Stakes.  

BASIC SPACE Shop launched in the NCAD Gallery on the 26th of March 2012 as part of the New Ecologies of Practice Programme. 

Merchandise, Memorabilia, limited Edition Collectibles, and an opportunity to be involved in our "Sq. Ft. Scheme" were all up for grabs.

A temporary shop showcasing a false representation of the existing Basic Space Contemporary Art Space. The Project aimed to question the value of ‘Works’ once they have been reappropriated in a commercial setting, challenging the Gallery model as means of exhibition.

TOMBOLO, Brow Head, Mizen Peninsula, West Cork.

Sept 2016

Reflections of the sky laid out on the ground.

Perspex Mirror, Timber Frame. Sky. Land. 

TOMBOLO, Brow Head, Mizen Peninsula, West Cork. 

Refractions sits on Marconi's orginal telegraph site on the wild atlantic headland overlooking Crookhaven, Brow Head Cliffs and the Fastnet Lighthouse. By contemporary Irish artist Kari Cahill.

Refracting and reflecting the autumn sunrise + sunset each day. 

Angle Iron, 6mm Glass, Moss, Air. 

Curated + Participated

Dig +53° 20' 31.02", -6° 16' 39.97"

White Tiles, Grout, Earth

Underground // An Exhibition of Works Below Surface Level // Basic Space Warehouse // Vicar Street // Dublin 8.

December 2011

An Objective was arrived at by the 9 participating Artists;To each create a site-specific work which engages with the underground.

Through the process of digging I found myself thinking of the past of the site which is now just a shell of a building.I was interested in the physicality of the platform created by going under the surface. I wanted to pare this down. Using simple white tiles to suggest both the simple grid system of archaeological digs, with lines facing North, East, South and West, and the presence of something that may have existed here before I have situated my hole into it's own platform of possible context and history. 

Participating Artists: Sara Amido - Kari Cahill - Peter Donnellan - Michael Fitzgerald - Greg Howie - Andreas Kindler von Knobloch - John Ryan - Daniel Tuomey - Tom David Watt

An Exhibition of Works Below Surface Level is‘The most thought-provoking, critical and crucial Exhibition to occur in Dublin for some time’

-James Merrigan, Billion Art Journal.

‘It should serve as a benchmark and as a catalyst for further critically engaged production by young irish artists nationally. The bar has been raised.’

-Francis Wasser, Critical Bastards.