ART BEAT episode 1 and the artist of the week Liam Kelly

Hi everybody, today is the first episode of New Art beat, art in pills, i’ll talk about Liam Kelly an irish sculptor very talented not just in video but also in my blog.

He was born in Achill, Co.Mayo, and now lives and works jn there. After completing a Diploma in Hotel and Catering Management he emigrated to England, where he has run restaurants, bars and nightclubs for many years. Back in his native island Achill at the end of Nineties, here he discovered the bogwood as a means of expressing art and his career began with this.

I meet Liam 4 years ago during the opening of a collective exhibition in Bray called “Memories” curated by Signal Art Centre in collaboration with Tony Clarke and me. After this exhibition we made many others collectives in Ireland and also in Italy .

Liam is a interesting sculptor who give to the bogwood a new shape and a new life with deepest concepts ispirated by History and Mithology of his country.

I asked to Liam five questions to let us now better his artist process and his personality.

 

Q.1 .How you start ?

Bogwood is mainly found through activities such as turf cutting and land drainage .In bogs where peat is being extracted ,tree stumps and trunks are dragged out of the peat with mechanical diggers to the edge of the bog . It is this wood that i then collect and sometimes i dig up myself .I then take this wood to my place of work ,where i store it in an open shed to dry, which can take a long period of time depending on the size of the wood . When dry i take a piece of wood and i will spend time looking at it from different angles .I never start by thinking I’m going to create a bird ,animal or anything in particular ,as the wood dictates to me the final outcome of the sculpture . It will show me an image in my mind and i will work towards that image .I then sculpt the wood using mainly chisels and finally finish with very fine sandpaper.Each piece is then finished with clear beeswax and brings out the natural colour of the wood .Each piece has its own personality .I try to capture a beauty that differs from popular notions of what standards should be .Most of my sculptures are influenced by stories of Irish Mythology and History .

 

Q.2.Why bogwood and not any other kind of wood or stone?

Bogwood and the boglands  held a fascination for me from an early age ,mainly because of its age ,which can be dated back nine thousend years .The bogwood im using at the moment has been Carbon Dated to be four thousend years old . The Boglands preserve layer upon layer of History .Various artefact’s discovered there over time are indicative of who and what the Irish people are .Many folk legends surround the boglands of Achill,especially during the hours of darkness, It was said and perhaps still is ,that when the mist envelops the bog and the blue flame (from static electricity)dances across the surface at dusk ,it was a sure indication that “the little” people were cooking their supper. For years the mighty majestic oak has held mystical powers and has represented truth, knowledge and strength. for some it was the gateway to another world while others believe it to keep evil out .Its branches are far reaching with its root reaching even further .

Q.3.What is “Art” for you? 

Art for me takes on many meanings and faces .1.  Art is a means of Union among men ,joining them together in the same feelings and indispensable for the life and progress towards well-being of individuals and of humanity.  2. Art is filling a space in a beautiful way .  3. Art has something to do with the achievement of stillness in the midst of chaos .  4. Art is a habit forming drug ,an addiction . 5.  Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time .  6.  Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has ever know .

 

4. 4.  What would you suggest to young people who want to become Sculptors ?

I wold say go to College and get a degree in general Arts .Then go work with as many Sculptures as you can until you develop your own style and medium . Never lose your individuality ,do not copy ,but allow yourself to be influenced .Break the rules of what you think the rules of Sculpture is . Never stop learning and take all advice that’s given to you freely . I’m A self taught Sculptor and i don’t feel i have achieved anything unless i break the rules at least once a day .

Q.5.   Next Projects 

I have just opened a New Gallery and will be concentrating on that mainly for next couple of months .I’m also hosting a project for the contemporary Irish Society ,and i have many commissioned works to do .

 

Well, i think that his sculptures are very interesting and originala s his creative process and concept.

I especially appreciate Liam for its connection with the traditions and history of his country: to me is very important never forget our identity if we want to live in harmoy whit the other people. Only if we respect our origins we can respect other cultures and receive respect from them.

I think also that his sculptures perfectly represent his personality in which Liam has been able to express himself totally.