For Offaly artist Esther Lambe, painting is about far more than creating a likeness of a place or person. It is a way of preserving memory, celebrating community and recording the changing landscape of the Irish Midlands.
Offaly Local Development Company is looking forward to welcoming Esther and visitors to Fiesta Hall for the exhibition opening at 6.30pm on Thursday, August 27. Esther will present ‘Memory in the Landscape’, a solo exhibition that brings together a lifetime of work inspired by the places and people that shaped her life.
The exhibition in Kilcormac’s Fiesta Hall (Eircode: R42 FK03) is being launched at 6.30pm and all are welcome to attend.
Esther, who was raised on a farm at Derrydolney, just outside Kilcormac, said her earliest memories are of farming life, neighbours, turf fires, family and the ever-changing landscape that stretched beyond her home. Those experiences continue to influence every canvas she paints.
Although she spent her professional life as a teacher and school principal, it was only later that painting became a central part of her life. Since beginning formal art tuition, in 2010, Esther has dedicated herself to continual learning and studying under respected Irish artists, while developing her own voice through portraiture and landscape painting.
Today, her work is held in private collections in Ireland and abroad and has featured in exhibitions throughout the midlands, including at Birr Theatre & Arts Centre, the Tullamore Show, Birr Library, the National Ploughing Championships, and numerous Creative Ireland projects.
The upcoming exhibition explores more than landscapes, Esther said. It reflects on the relationship between people and place, on the memories carried within familiar roads, bogs, railways and communities, and on how these continue to shape identity long after the landscape itself has changed.
She explained: “Painting is having a conversation with somebody about the things that hold a special place in my life. It is the touchstone between me and those who view my paintings.”
Esther said attendees to the exhibition can expect a collection that ranges from atmospheric bogland scenes and industrial heritage to expressive portraits, each connected by a common thread of memory, belonging and human experience.
The official opening will be performed by Michael Hanna, whose work in developing university art collections and supporting community engagement through the visual arts has reinforced his belief in the importance of art in shaping cultural identity. Michael will perform the launch together with Salters Sterling, who has spent his career promoting education and lifelong learning.
The exhibition is being supported by Offaly Local Development Company, and this will be one of the first local art exhibitions to be hosted in the newly refurbished Fiesta Hall, highlighting the potential of the venue as an important community space for arts, culture and creativity in rural Offaly.
Roisin Lennon, CEO of Offaly Local Development Company, said: “Supporting arts and culture in our rural communities is incredibly important. Creating opportunities for local artists to share their work also brings people together and celebrates the creativity, stories and identity of our communities.”