Virtual Exhibitions

Displayed November 2022

"A Coastal Peninsula"

Art Exhibition by Audrey Kyle

The extraordinary events of the recent pandemic has reinforced the importance of a sense and belonging to a place, and the safety and comfort that stems from that belonging. As a lover of nature and the coast, this exhibition records those corners of Islandmagee which have shaped her artistic practice and have provided her with that feeling of home from childhood to present day.

Being an artist who is a believer in painting what makes you happy, there is plenty to choose from on the coastal peninsula where she lives, from grassy laneways, hidden cottages, lighthouses, shorelines, rugged coves and harbours, all of which are approached with an artistic style, which embraces colour, while evoking a sense of tranquility and peace.

Audrey Kyle is a watercolour artist who paints from her studio, situated on the Gobbins Cliffs in Islandmagee, Co Antrim.

She is a member of Economusee NI, Latitude 54, C.A.O.S, and became a member of The Art Society of Ulster in 2014. Audrey exhibits for the first time this year at the R.U.A.'s 141st exhibition in the Ulster Museum. She regularly runs workshops from her cliff top studio. Influenced by the changing of the seasons and the effect which that has on the land, sky and routines, paintings are often colourful and capture landscapes, nature and country living.

The exhibition was on display from Monday 7th until Wednesday 23rd November 2022.

Displayed July/August 2022

'Stitched Together', an exhibition of quilts

"We are five women who met and forged our friendship through a love of sewing and in particular of patchwork and quilting. Without this interest we may never have met – we would have missed out on 3 decades of creativity, friendship and fun.

For each of us, sewing has been an integral part of our lives and who we are. It has brought us purpose and positivity, made us think and look at things in different ways, presented us with problems and opportunities and brought us solace in difficult times.

These are all qualities a hobby can bring and we were lucky enough to have been taught the basics of sewing at primary school. While it may not have exactly ‘lit a burning fire’ in us then, it did give us a vital and useful skill to fall back upon and allowed us to develop that skill into something which has brought us joy throughout our lives.

As you look around this exhibition you will see that we all have different styles, particular colours we favour, techniques we prefer – our differences reflect that we are not all the same, but we hope it shows that together we can achieve something quite beautiful."

Exhibitors include Jacqueline Davie, Sally Law, Anne Marcus, Phyl Maxwell and Margaret Woodside.

This exhibition was on display in Larne Museum & Arts Centre from Thursday 23rd June until Friday 26th August 2022.

Displayed January/February 2022

'Positive Perspectives' - an art exhibition by East Antrim Artists

East Antrim Artists are a group of amateur artists living in the Whitehead/Islandmagee/Carrickfergus area. The group was originally established in 1991 by Eamonn Murphy and over the years has had many successful exhibitions in the area and beyond. They currently exhibit in Meadowbridge Health Center and Gobbins Gallery.

Lorna, Margaret and Shirley are members of the Ulster Society of Women Artists. Margaret and Ken belong to the Society of Equestrian Artists and Margaret is a member of the Pastel Society of Ireland and the Medical Art Society.

In the group there is a wide variety of interests and styles resulting in an eclectic mix of paintings.

This exhibition was on display in Larne Museum & Arts Centre from Thursday 13th January until Thursday 24th February 2022.

Featured Exhibition - December 2021

Knitted Bible Story Exhibition - a display by Fiona Storer

This unique knitted display depicts 30 different stories from the Bible in a fun and creative way. The creator of the display is registered blind and, despite many challenges, found working on the project exciting and an opportunity to bring people together both in the creation of the display and also by taking it out to other places and inspiring others to challenge themselves and at the same time raise much needed funds for local Cancer Charities.

This exhibition was on display in Larne Museum & Arts Centre from Wednesday 1st December 2021 until Wednesday 5th January 2022.

Featured Exhibition - September 2021

"Reminiscence: Paintings drawn from the spirit of old photographs", an art exhibition by Laura Butler

“I have always been drawn to the places where the presence of people can be felt,” Laura Butler.

Laura Butler was born in Belfast but has enjoyed close connections with east Antrim all her life and has been living in Glynn village for almost 20 years.

In this exhibition, local artist Laura Butler focuses on the evocative quality of old photographs; depicting them in paintings with vivid colours that draw the viewer into the scene and invite a sense of shared memory.

This selection of 26 paintings was on display in Larne Museum & Arts Centre from Wednesday 1st September until Tuesday 28th September.

Featured Virtual Exhibition - August 2021

Art Exhibition by East Antrim Artists

East Antrim Artists are a group of amateur artists living in the Whitehead/Islandmagee/Carrickfergus area. The group was originally established in 1991 by Eamonn Murphy and over the years has had many successful exhibitions in the area and beyond. They currently exhibit in Meadowbridge Health Center and Gobbins Gallery. Sadly they have lost a number of members in recent years but continue to meet and support each other.

Lorna, Margaret and Shirley are members of the Ulster Society of Women Artists. Margaret and Ken belong to the Society of Equestrian Artists and Margaret is a member of the Pastel Society of Ireland and the Medical Art Society.

In the group there is a wide variety of interests and styles resulting in an eclectic mix of paintings. They like to vary the mediums they use and encourage each other to experiment. During ‘Covid’ they kept up their enthusiasm by setting challenges for the group. From time to time they set up a life-drawing workshop to hone drawing and observational skills.

This exhibition originally to be held in Larne Museum & Arts Centre, consists of new works, painted during ‘lockdown’.

Ken Stewart

Ken Stewart, an Associate Member of the Society of Equestrian Artists, specialises in horse portraits and Irish hunting, racing and sporting art in oils. He has combined his talent for portraiture with his skills as an equestrian artist to create unique commissions for over 40 years.

For any enquiries, please contact Ken by e-mail at ken.stewart@hotmail.co.uk.

Lorna Greenwood

Lorna Greenwood is a member of the Ulster Women Artists, Causeway Coast Artists and her local art group, East Antrim Artists. She has exhibited throughout N. Ireland and had a shared exhibition at Glenarm Castle. In 2016 she had a painting selected for the "Nature Through Art" exhibition itinerary at Castle Espie. She initiated and organised the successful Whitehead Walking Trail in 2014 & in 2015. Her work is inspired by the natural environment and she responds to elements such as the sea, rocks, trees and plant life using mainly acrylics but on occasions pastel and watercolour. Living by the sea inspires this exhibition.

For any enquiries, please contact Lorna on 07876 738920.

Margaret Mathews

Margaret Mathews is a retired dentist with a lifelong interest in art. She belongs to various art societies with a variety of interests. She paints in various media, oil, acrylic, pastel, charcoal, etc. She spends some time in France and has enjoyed discovering new subjects and new techniques. She has also exhibited widely in Britain and abroad as well as locally. Equestrian art, figure drawing, still life and portraiture are favourite subjects.

For any enquiries, please contact Margaret by e-mail at covestudio@aol.com.

Shirley Snook

Shirley lives in Islandmagee. Now retired from teaching she has more time to paint and pursue her other interest, gardening. She has been a member of the East Antrim Artists since it was formed in 1991 and is also a member of the Ulster Society of Women Artists. Having started painted in watercolour and then moving to pastel, she now works mostly in acrylics and experiments with mixed media. She paints a variety of subjects but her favoured subject is the natural world, particularly flowers. She loves the work of American artist Georgia O’Keefe and the abstract landscapes of David Tress.

She has exhibited at various venues throughout N Ireland including the Waterfront Hall, Lisburn Civic Centre, Flowerfield Arts Centre, Crescent Arts Centre and currently in The Gobbins Gallery. In 2019 she won 1st prize at the prestigious Rose Society of Northern Ireland annual competition.

Featured Virtual Exhibition - July 2021

'Lockdown' by Larne Camera Club

As part of Larne Camera Club's season of weekly Zoom meetings, a call went out to members to collect together images taken over the period of the pandemic that expressed their unique view of these unprecedented times.

The photographs submitted reflect that we all have an individual experience of this pandemic and a unique reaction to this testing time.

Featured Virtual Exhibition - June 2021

'Davy Hall Memorial Exhibition' by Larne Camera Club

The late Davy Hall was a founder member of Larne Camera Club and had a passion for landscape and seascape photography. Annually we remember Davy by inviting club members to submit their photographs in a Landscape and Seascape competition that results in an annual exhibition of prints.

Due to current circumstances in 2021 we have decided to run this annual competition and exhibition virtually with the kind support of the Larne Museum and Arts Centre.

Prizes were offered by one of the Club's sponsors McFarlane's Pharmacy Plus. for the first, second and third prints.

The winning images this year as selected by our Northern Ireland Photographic Association Judge Vittorio Silvestri are as follows: -

First place - ‘Doolin’ by Mark Gwynne

Second Place - ‘Sallagh Bluebells’ by Paul Evans

Third Place was - ‘Pebble Beach’ by Ivan Stewart

Featured Virtual Exhibition - May 2021

Art Exhibition by George Wilkin

George Wilkin studied art under Ralph Dobson at the College of Art, later running a sign writing business. George returned to his artwork after retiring.

For any sales enquiries, please contact George directly on 028 93 382357.

Featured Virtual Exhibition - April 2021

Art Exhibition by Dawn Aston

Dawn Aston is a local artist who has a BA Hons. degree in Fine Art/Painting and has many years experience in creating art.

Her work is diverse and encompasses paintings, portraits, sculpture, mosaics, photography, garden design and working in clay.

Her interest in people, nature and geometry inspires her work.

Dawn can be contacted via email for commissioned work - dastonart@gmail.com.

Featured Virtual Exhibition - March 2021

Larne Art Club - Virtual Spring Exhibition 2021

Larne Art Club has been presenting its annual Spring Exhibition and sale of works at Larne Museum & Arts Centre each March for many years. This year the display is virtual and features original artwork by local amateur artists in a variety of mediums and genres.

The exhibition includes artwork by Emma Brown, L Davidson, Harry Fraser, Valerie Girvin, Jane Jobling, Eamon Looney, Penny McBride, Cecilia McCormick and P Webb.

Featured Virtual Exhibition - February 2021

'A Celebration of Larne Art'

A showcase of 11 local artists

This virtual art exhibition follows on from ‘A Celebration of Larne Art’ exhibitions previously held in Larne Museum & Arts Centre. The exhibition celebrates the wealth of artistic talent in the local area and includes Dawn Aston, Laura Butler, Juliane Keane, Audrey Kyle, Jon Lashford, Brendan McAfee, Penny McBride, Murray McDowell, Heather McFadden, Kim Montgomery and Miguel Neves.

Featured Virtual Exhibition - January 2021

Art Exhibition by Murray McDowell

"I'm Murray McDowell from Larne. I'm now 62 years old and have lived in the borough all my life.

I've had a deep love of art since a very early age, helped along by my parents who gave me lots of encouragement.

My drawings always seemed to gravitate towards the natural world around me, not a wonder, being blessed with some of the best scenery in the world on my doorstep!

I've had a great interest in pen and ink since discovering the work of Dublin artist Harry Clarke, who I studied at college. I tend to use a 'pointillist' technique, which entails a very fine tipped pen putting small dots on the paper. I find this style lets me get some fantastic detail in my works.

My other love is working in chalk and charcoal - a very different medium, which requires a much more abstract style.

All of my pieces are original drawings - I do not produce prints, so every one is different in some way. In other words, each piece is a one-off."

All pieces are priced as unframed artworks, please add £10 for framed artworks.

For sales enquiries, please contact Murray McDowell on 07933 749825.

Featured Virtual Exhibition - December 2020

Art Exhibition by Audrey Kyle

Although Audrey has always enjoyed art, she began learning watercolour technique with Paul Holmes, a local Irish landscape artist, after the birth of her second child in 2009.

This has now developed into an occupation. In November 2018 she converted an old stone barn into her studio/gallery and now invites visitors by appointment.

Living on a farm situated on the top of the Gobbins Cliffs, Audrey gets much of her inspiration from the beauty of nature and the changing of the seasons. She loves nature and wildlife and is at her happiest when surrounded with the natural world. Islandmagee is a peninsula so the sea plays a big part in her life and skies are forever changing around the studio. No two days are the same. She also runs the family farm.

Audrey loves to pick quirky scenes and transfer them to a page. Favourite images include the Irish hare and lighthouses. A favourite colour to paint with is indigo and she paints in a loose style using bold colours.

Audrey loves local folklore, after all she grew up in the witches’ house and lives at the top of a cliff where there are caves, fairy trees and sightings of sea monsters and mermaids! This inspiration puts a magical quality into her work. Her images have been described as making people feel happy and her work has a simple delightful quality to it.

Find out more on Audrey's Facebook page, Audrey Kyle Art, or on her website https://www.audreykyleart.com/. For any sales enquiries, please contact Audrey directly on audreykyleart@gmail.com.

Featured Virtual Exhibition - November 2020

Art Exhibition by Kim Montgomery and Peter McCausland

Kim Montgomery and Peter McCausland are married visual artists and art teachers who have resided in Larne since 2018.

This online exhibition with Larne Museum & Arts Centre is a celebration of their personal locale through drawing media and acrylic and water soluble oil paint.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, Kim and Peter’s gaze has been centred on home. Their observations include seascape views overlooking the Irish Sea, Islandmagee and Larne Harbour; portraits of family, their dog and friends, including neighbour Tommy - an 88 year old native ‘Larnian’.

Their subjects also include imagined figures they are inspired by across popular culture.

These paintings are available to purchase. For sales and price enquiries, please contact Kim at kjmontgomery1@hotmail.com.

Paintings can be posted, size of paintings start at 20x20cm, then A4, A3 and up to A2 (A2 images can be rolled and put in a tube as they are paper).

Find out more at the links below:

Website: kimmontgomery.co.uk

Facebook: @kimmontgomeryartist

Instagram: kimmontgomeryart

Featured Virtual Exhibition - October 2020

'Landscapes & Seascapes'

by members of Larne Camera Club

The late Davy Hall was a founder member of Larne Camera Club and had a passion for landscape and seascape photography.

Each year, the Club holds an exhibition in his memory and invites its members to enter images they had taken of landscapes and seascapes. This year, the club competition was sponsored by McFarlane's Pharmacy Plus.

The 2020 Landscape & Seascape Competition was held online and attracted 47 pictures from its members. All have been photographed in the 12 months leading up to March 2020.

This is the first public presentation of the images submitted in this year’s competition.

Larne Camera Club is based in Ballygally, Larne, and meets throughout the year, catering for those first starting photography through to those with more experience. New members are always very welcome and you can find out more about the club and its activities by visiting www.larnecameraclub.com.