Sue Walsh’s Underground Art in Clare

Long lost Blather correspondent Sue, resurfaces in Clare with some rather strange paintings…

An exhibition called ‘Hidden Depths’ can be found in the basement of Byrnes Restaurant in Ennistymon, County Clare, in the West of Ireland. It runs from the 24th of November to the 7th of December and is open Monday to Saturday, from 11am to 5pm.
The exhibition has been organised by a local art collective known as Trading Spaces. I had barely arrived in Clare before I was kidnapped and drawn into this sinister group. I hope to be seeing daylight for the first time soon, when the doors of the basement are opened…
My ‘Artist’s Statement’ goes something like this:

“I arrived here on a steam train in an early morning in 1905. There was a mist rolling in from the sea, and the colours hurt my eyes. I had tired of the Vaudeville scene in Galway and needed a change. Mother said my cholera would get worse, but I knew better. I had the bad fortune to step on a Stray Sod and Hungry Grass all on the one day, and had to turn a loaf of bread inside out and hope for the best. I had the uncomfortable feeling that the birds were laughing at me. The land remained silent, full of buried secrets and crimes.
I reported a large white cat to the local constable; perhaps it escaped from a local menagerie? He just scratched his head and went back to sleep.

My paintings are a dialogue from my subconscious, they come from dreams. A dream is only a version of the truth. I would go back to Galway, but I’ve missed my train and now the railway is gone…”
– Sue Walsh

Passing Cat 60cm x 45cm €300

Birds 60cm x 50cm €300

Land 60cm x 45cm €300

suzanne

Sue Walsh was partly brought up by cats in her native Wexford, where along with her brother, she scoured the river for junk. At the age of three her mother caught her carrying kittens in her mouth. She lived in the woods for a while, then the lure of the stage was too much, and she ran away with a theatre company. This enabled her to keep her multiple personalities happy, and so she is continuing to act whenever the opportunity arises. When not on stage or the silver screen, Sue can be found scribbling away and conducting séances. She is still scouring the river, hoping to find treasure in amongst the junk, just like Suzanne in the song...