Recent Work : “Currach”

The artist’s recent series “Currachs” was directly influenced by a three-week stay in Ireland in September 2015, facilitated by a residency with the Cill Rialaig Foundation.

This Dublin-based arts organization allowed the artist to work in a restored 19th-century settler’s cabin perched on Ireland’s westernmost edge, facing the vast Atlantic Ocean. The setting’s stunning scenery—the dramatic coastline, the expansive sea, and the cabin’s deep historical resonance—immediately captivated the artist’s imagination. But the artist’s reflections went beyond surface beauty.

They recalled a personal family history: ancestors who had left Ireland during the Great Famine in the early 1800s, journeying under desperate circumstances to Louisiana’s humid lowlands. Standing at the edge of Europe, the artist began asking essential, human questions: What could compel people to abandon such a seemingly idyllic place and risk a perilous ocean crossing with minimal resources, all to settle in a strange land with no promise of prosperity?

This question took a visual, symbolic shape one afternoon as the artist gazed down at the Atlantic and noticed a tiny fishing boat far below. From that distance, the boat and its two fishermen looked incredibly fragile—small figures against an immense, indifferent seascape. This inspired a metaphorical leap: small boats became a universal symbol of human vulnerability, courage, and the precarious search for a better life. In particular, the Irish “curragh”—a traditional, lightweight rowing boat—emerged as a fitting subject for the new body of work. By painting curraghs, the artist conveys both the enchantment of Ireland and the delicate bravery of those who risk everything to move forward into the unknown.