Robyn Deasy
7 June to the 31 July 2023
Studio open to visitors Tuesdays and Wednesdays

Robyn will hold an open studio on Saturday 29 July from 12 noon until 2 pm. All Welcome! 

In studio Robyn Deasy will build on and challenge the imaginative and observational drawing processes present in her practice while focusing on reanimating Hy Brasil, a captivating Irish island paradise with a strong presence in Irish folklore.

It was said to be located along the west and south west coast of Ireland, obscured or floating on a fog bank, appearing once every seven years, disappearing when people approached it too closely. Curiously, the island has also been represented on a number of maps starting in the 12th century right up to the 1870’s. While there were very few accounts of people reaching the island, the question of its existence was widely accepted, until advances in technology deemed it unreal, or as others theorise, before it sank beneath the waves. 

Her practice is concerned with exploring the Irish landscapes that surround us creating drawings that aim to foster a connection with our landscapes and their nature by revealing their deep past. She collects all forms of information about a landscape's history, myth and nature, creating imaginative drawings influenced by these resources. She also research its flora and fauna on foot and partakes in observational drawing in the landscape itself. She harmonises these processes by utilising a mix of media to form conscientious, immersive and intricate compositions that endeavour to rouse curiosity and invite the viewer to join in the pleasure of discovery.

This island encapsulates the themes history, myth and nature, the driving factors behind her practice. She will use the studio space to develop a more unconstrained drawing process, leaning on the ideas of imagination and reality merging. She will use a bank of visual imagery gathered through observational drawing along the West Cork coastline and imaginative drawing inspired by the Hy- Brasil's story to influence the island she creates.

Robyn Deasy is a mixed media artist based in West Cork, Ireland. She received her B.A in Fine Art at CCAD Cork and completed an M.A Illustration at Arts University Bournemouth.

Her most recent work focused on reanimating the history of the Gearagh. A unique river forest located on the river Lee that was felled and flooded to aid the development of a 1950s hydroelectric scheme. This work was showcased at a solo exhibition The Gearagh: The Wooded River at the Macroom School of Art on Culture Night 2022.

instagram: @robynmdeasy

www.robyndeasy.com

This residency is supported by an Arts Council Agility Award.

WCAC acknowledges the financial support of the Arts Council and Cork County Council in making these residencies possible .