I Come From A Family of Artists
Art wasn't just something I dabbled in; I Come From A Family of Artists, it was woven into the very fabric of my family.
Updated March 9th 2024.
My story starts with a remarkable group of women - my grandmother and her four sisters. Each one possessed a unique artistic flair. The youngest, Auntie Ursie, dared to chase her passion, attending the prestigious Slade School of Art in London in the early 1930s. I’d love to know what it was like for a good Catholic Irish girl to go off to London unaccompanied to go to art school!
It doesn’t stop with these remarkable women either. Uncles and cousins have all carved out careers as artists, sometimes in later life, sometimes from the time they left school.
Aunt Ursula 1931
Granny Byrne (left), great Granny Hilser (centre) Muriel Goggin Byrne (right)
My mother’s sister, Muriel, followed in Ursula's footsteps, and went off to study art the National College of Art & Design although this time it was in Dublin, not on foreign soil. She was also a respected member of the Royal Hibernian Watercolour Society.
Grandpa and Granny Byrne circa 1950s)
Granny Byrne (circa 1928)
Mum, didn’t call herself a professional artist, but creativity flowed through her veins through everything she did. From the hand-stitched dresses she made for me as a child to the imaginative Christmas crafts we created together, she instilled in me a love for making beautiful things.
Me & a childhood friend in Zambia
Me at NCAD in Dublin
Granny came to live with us for three years in Zambia after my grandad died. Her creativity came through her sewing, knitting, and her cooking. She would give me scraps of fabric to design outrageous outfits for my dolls. (Let's just say Barbie's wardrobe got a serious makeover!) Throughout my early years in Zambia I loved to draw draw and explore all things art-related at school.
At boarding school my incredible art teacher, Mrs. Ross, created an artroom was an artistic haven. It was a place where we were free to experiment with a variety of mediums, from ceramics to batik. Thanks to her nurturing guidance, many of us, myself included, were inspired to pursue art as a career.
I eventually landed at the National College of Art & Design like my aunt before me. I graduated in graphic design and that gave me a very satisfying career that took me from working behind the scenes in TV to travelling back to South Africa where I worked for a variety of advertising and design companies. I eventually landed up in the North East of England where I worked for Procter & Gamble.
The story of how I discovered printmaking? Well, that, my friends, is a tale for another day! Or you can read it here.