Michelle Boyle is a visual artist with a studio base in Cavan, Ireland and a developing base in Mumbai, India. She works in painting and drawing, applying the observational skills of these to a broader artistic practice which includes video, installation and journalling. Her work explores themes from everyday life expressed in her distinctive spontaneous and fluid way. ‘ I identify first and foremost as a painter, and although my inheritance shapes my worldview, my work is informed by my everyday observations and experiences of people and place.’
Boyle’s work as a painter began in 2003 with a need to visualise emotions and the history of her adoptive and mixed race Irish / Indian inheritance.
This intense auto biographical work was the subject of four solo exhibitions in public galleries in Ireland and India resonating with contemporary themes of identity, displacement and home.
WATER RICH LANDSCAPELANDSCAPE
The artist’s self portraits and landscape paintings journey the intricacies of identity and place.
She has her studio base beside Lough Ramor in the lake filled landscape of Cavan Ireland.
‘She swims year round in Lough Ramor and now sees this as a performative collaboration with nature. While being conscious of the preciousness of freshwaters, she is giving this essential element- with which all life depends- a voice through her expressive liquidlike gestural paintings’
Patricia Watts Ecoartspace Founder/ Curator. ‘Freshwater’ Catalogue 2023
WATER CONVERSATIONS
Boyle brings her academic background in Cultural Anthropology (BA) and Landscape Archaeology (MA) to conversations around water in Ireland and internationally from the intersection of art / geo-humanities and local communities.
Click on the ‘NEWS’ tab to top for all details on current and past exhibitions & collaborations (select below)
‘Exquisite River’ Ely Centre of Contemporary Art CT USA
https://elycenter.org/think-about-water-exquisite-river
Artists Think About Water (TAW) link :
https://www.thinkaboutwater.com/artist-news/
She is member of collectives including EcoArtspace, Interface Inagh and Artists Thinkaboutwater.
SURFACE TENSION
Click here to sign up to the artist’s journal and writings around water.
https://michelle1a6c3.substack.com/embed
RECENT EXHIBITIONS/ EVENTS
IMMA Earth Rising
21-24 th September 2023
‘Conversations from the fountain’ by the artist encourages people to think about the living agency of freshwater in the landscape and if water would speak what would it say to us? Presentations curated by the artist included collected water stories and samples contributed by open invitation from around Ireland, water divining public engagement with Gerry Cremin and poetry presentation by Nell Regan, ‘Liffey Swim’, ‘Inchicore Haiku’ Michael Hartnett, ‘At the first sign’ Liam O Meara and others
‘Freshwater‘ June 22nd -Sept 14th 2023. Solo exhibition of paintings celebrating freshwater in the landscape- Ramor Theatre Virginia Cavan Ireland.
Woven May- June Group Exhibition-The Sasse Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angelus USA
Nine Fish Gallery Ongoing Mumbai, India
AWARDS 2023
Cavan County Council Arts Award
Supported the artist to undertake ‘Conversations from the lake.’ on 4 boat excursions to Lough Ramor where local people exchanged their insights and experience of freshwater and its relevance to their health, mental wellbeing and belief systems.
2022- ‘The Clothes on our backs’ Solo exhibition of paintings and textile works reflecting on the artist’s personal history and identity .Jehangir Gallery Mumbai.
PAINTING WORKSHOPS
Book at NEWS section for upcoming workshops in Dublin and France !
Michelle runs workshops for local and national cultural institutions in the studio and in the landscape. Her focus is development of individual expression, skill base and appreciation for the living world through looking and being in nature.
Click to workshops here :