Seeing the whole world contained within the humble Kinnypottle
“It’s just a beautiful little place, a lovely place to sit and draw and paint in the busyness of our lives,” remarks Michelle Boyle of the Kinnypottle.
Renowned visual artist Michelle will host a free workshop at Con Smith Park this weekend as part of the Cavan Arts Festival. This is one of four eagerly anticipated events under the Working Glas Heroes banner - along with rewilding expert Eoghan Daltun, presenter Anja Murray and musician Peter Broderick - which seeks to bring a green tinge to the artistic offerings. Michelle is a natural fit.
The Virginia based artist has explored the epic Lough Ramor and its tributaries in her celebrated ‘Freshwater’ series. She is also deeply involved in a community project to restore the health of the Ramor’s waters. The epic Ramor is a far remove from the unassuming Kinnypottle, which meanders along the border of the Cavan town park.
“I think it’s always very good to look at something small and intimate because sometimes the grandeur and the big picture is actually too overwhelming,” suggests Michelle, standing at the river’s edge. “When you look small, you can see the whole world in one place - I completely believe that.”
The Kinnypottle’s quiet drift towards town is the lifesource for a bustling habitat. Despite it’s ‘Poor’ quality designation from the EPA, frogs hide amongst the tussles of grass fringing its banks, pond skaters magically commute, while fish flit seemingly as mere shadows in its shallows. We can only imagine the abundance of life the river could spawn if unburdened from pollution.
At the Cavan town end of the park the Kinnypottle vanishes down a culvert at the Cootehill Road junction and is suppressed beneath Farnham Street until it re-emerges as a silent partner to the Cavan River.
“If you look in here, it seems to be abundant with little fish which is fantastic, and lots of different little things,” admires Michelle. “It’s only when you sit here looking you actually start seeing what’s in the water.”
For Michelle the act of painting a location possesses power. She refers to Claude Monet’s stunning garden and lake at his in Giverny home.
“He created that lake and planted around it so he could sit and paint, but we have it here. I think looking for a long time you start to see and appreciate things.
“Many artists in the past have put places on the map and they have become important to people because artists or writers thought it worthwhile to write about something or paint something - so that makes other people look too.”
Michelle welcomes people of all skill levels and none to take part in the free workshop.
“The great thing about sitting and drawing is you really need very basic stuff. You don’t need to have experience - the most important thing you need to bring with you is time and the ability to sit still for a while and just look, turn off phones and spend a couple of hours in nice company with other people.”
Michelle is used to running workshops at the National Gallery of Ireland, and her wonderful studio in Garryross, Virginia - where incidentally she’ll host an event on Saturday, May 17, from 11am-2pm, to mark National Drawing Day.
Michelle can help people gain the basics in drawing and painting, and maybe also discover the medium that suits their style best.
“They are like different instruments, sometimes people are playing the drums when actually the guitar is more their instrument. Art materials are the same, they have a broad range of mark making and resonance, they have a different sensibility,” says Michelle who is a multi-instrumentalist of sorts, working expertly with many mediums.
Michelle Boyle’s workshop takes place on Sunday, May 18 from 10am in Con Smith Park. It is free courtesy of funding by Creative Cavan, but you must register in advance on www.cavanartsfestival.ie.