Debut exhibition reveals a wonderful gift for pastels

The old adage you can tell a lot about a person by their shoes springs to mind while perusing the first few paintings from Marie Kearns McKay’s recent exhibition at Cavan County Museum. More accurately in this case you can imagine a lot by a person’s shoes.

A dainty pair of children’s Startrite shoes was the starting point for her debut exhibition which showcases her masterly use of pastels and other media. The artist moved to Ballyjamesduff seven years ago to be closer to her adult children. When moving in, she came across the sky blue shoes with straps and the leather at the toes worn off to expose a warm brown tone.

“The shoes were obviously cherished and then put away when they had served their purpose,” explains Marie in her artist statement. “I felt they deserved to be seen so I did a painting of them and hung the picture in my sitting room. So began my fascination with the stories that are wrapped around someone’s shoes. In this case, who walked in them and where is the child now?”

Her image generates that intangible sense of loss when considering a childhood that’s past. The angle the shoes are arranged mimic the idle stance of a child with one heel swinging. The shoes are lovingly captured against a backdrop of sun-drenched lead glass windows.

Other pictures of shoes follow in this section, culminating in a pair titled ‘Dad’s Last Shoes’ which she describes as “nostalgic”. This work, again in pastel, depicts the ubiquitous black shoes you could find in any elderly Irish man’s wardrobe. Well worn judging by the crease of the toes, but well minded to. Here Marie has perched her late father’s trowel nearby to reflect his passion for gardening. The shoes were handed to Marie as she left his hospital room.

“I didn’t want to pack them away or throw them out, but I did want to keep him and his shoes relevant,” she reveals.

In a sense the shoes provide a vicarious portrait of her father, something she gives away in referring to the picture as “my dad’s painting”.

She insists “Nothing in my dad’s painting is morbid or depressing. In fact its quite the opposite. It’s about love and appreciation of him, the years he walked this earth and the incredible life he lived.”

The shoe works are joined by a selection of animal portraits, and a range of still life pictures, again mostly painted in pastels. This reviewer’s favourite of this section is ‘Cheese and Wine O’Clock’ where the arrangement is painted in watercolour. Highlights and shadows are captured with the casual skill of an expert.

This, Marie’s first exhibition, closed on Monday last, but it surely won’t be her last.