‘Ambassadors’ sit for star portraits

[Ace]

Different portrait, different emphasis.

22/04/05

‘Ambassadors’ sit for star portraits
By Niall Murray

IMAGINE having screen stars Pierce Brosnan, Gabriel Byrne or Liam Neeson in your sitting room. It might be a dream for many Irish women, but it could become a reality when portraits of the three go on sale at a charity exhibition next month.

Bids for the specially- commissioned portraits of the trio, all UNICEF Ireland ambassadors, will be accepted at the Art Ireland Summer Collection art fair from May 13 to 15.

The largest work is Offaly artist Willie Redmond’s three-panel portrayal of Ballymena-born actor Liam Neeson, with the main panel measuring 100cm by 70cm. The organisers have put a guide price of €3,500 on the acrylic-on-canvas piece.

“The work emphasises his height and stature and is influenced by his roles in Schindler’s List, Michael Collins and most recently Kinsey,” Mr Redmond said.

“But I also wanted to show the full spectrum of his personality, from the strong and the serious to the relaxed and light- hearted,” he said.

Janet King from South Africa set out to capture the essence of Pierce Brosnan’s moody screen persona in her 60cm by 60cm oil portrait of the James Bond star, guiding at €2,000.

“I looked into his eyes and asked what he’s thinking. He just stares back at me with that moody, sultry look,” she said.

Fionnuala Collins used shadows and light subtly to portray Gabriel Byrne’s psychological and artistic profile, in her €2,000 guide-priced 50cm by 40cm work in oil and acrylic. “Gabriel’s dark, intense eyes haunt us with the promise that if we stare long enough we might discover the source of intrigue behind his eyes,” she said.

The portraits are part of a large collection of works donated by artists to be sold in aid of UNICEF Ireland at the art fair in the RDS. UNICEF Ireland executive director Maura Quinn paid tribute to the artists and Art Ireland for letting them raise funds at their event.

“We are very grateful for the continued commitment of Pierce, Gabriel and Liam to our work and their association with us helps us draw attention to and provide assistance for the poorest children in the world,” she said.

[curious george]

Am I the only one who read "three panels" and thought "Pitkins?"


cg

[Yuliya]

I read it and thought, "He's making a triptych of Neeson; how sweet." I thought the format was usually reserved for saints.

[sparklingblue]

Boy, I'm just dying to see that portrait with the "sultry look".

[Ace]

Art fair comes to the RDS

08 May 2005
By Helen Boylan

The first of four Art Ireland events will run in the RDS, Dublin, from Friday to Sunday. The fair, now in its fourth year, features thousands of paintings, sculptures, photographs and other original works of art exhibited for sale under one roof.

Nearly 10,000 visitors who attended last year's “open and accessible European-style art fair'‘ spent over €3 million.

Some of the highlights of this year's event include commissioned portraits of Liam Neeson in aid of Unicef, by Willie Redmond (valued at €3,500), Gabriel Byrne by Fionnuala Collins (€2,000) and Pierce Brosnan by Janet King (€2,000). Donations and sales over the weekend are expected to raise €25,000 for the charity.

According to Art Ireland founder and organiser Maria McMenamin, the Art Ireland fair “highlights that art collecting is truly open to all and not just the exclusive preserve of specialist collectors and dedicated connoisseurs'‘.

Art Ireland opens on Friday 12-9pm; Saturday and Sunday 11am-7pm. Admission costs €10 (€5 concession) and children are free. Log on at www. irishartfair.com

[Ace]

Unicef: They’ve been framed!

Trio of top Irish actors portrayed for UNICEF Ireland







Top Irish actors Pierce Brosnan, Gabriel Byrne and Liam Neeson have been put in the picture after agreeing to be depicted in a unique set of portraits to be auctioned in aid of UNICEF Ireland.

All three actors are UNICEF Ireland Ambassadors and are respectively portrayed by artists Janet King, Fionnuala Collins and Willie Redmond, who agreed to volunteer their services free of charge when they were invited to portray the actors by the organisers of the forthcoming Art Ireland Summer Collection art fair.

The portraits form part of a large collection of art works donated by participating artists that will be sold in aid of UNICEF Ireland at the fair in the Industries Hall, the RDS, Dublin 4 from Friday to Sunday, May 13-15 next.

Says Art Ireland founder and organiser Maria McMenamin, “we are delighted to be involved in this project. Each of the three artists has given us a unique interpretation of their individual subject that would take pride of place in any collection.”

A native of South Africa whose works have been inspired by her travels through Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the Arctic Circle, Janet King says she set out to capture the essence of Pierce Brosnan’s moody screen persona.



"It’s not often you get asked to spend quality time with Pierce Brosnan,” she says. “Everyday I have looked into his eyes and asked him 'What are you thinking?' He just stares back at me with that moody, sultry look. I hope he doesn’t feel like I have taken advantage of him!"



Since winning the Cill Rialig Young Artist of the Year Award in 2000, Co. Meath born Fionnuala Collins has been making her mark with works that have been collected by the likes of comedian Brendan O’Carroll, businessman J.P. McManus and actor Mick Lally. Frequently inspired by the world of acting, she responded eagerly to the opportunity to portray Gabriel Byrne, combining discerning brush strokes with subtle use of shadows and light to portray her subject’s psychological and artistic profile.



“His allure has transfixed audiences for two decades,” she says. “His seductive appeal comes from all that is not said. Like Gabriel’s acting, his dark, intense eyes haunt us with the promise that if we stare long enough we might just discover the source of the intrigue behind his eyes.”



Originally from Edenderry, Co. Offaly and now based in Dublin, Willie Redmond is a self-taught artist who has developed a distinct style that combines realism, draughtsmanship and vibrant colours with a strong sense of composition, movement and light. He brings these same qualities to his three-panel (triptych) portrayal of Liam Neeson.

“The work emphasises his height and stature and is influenced by his roles in Schindler’s List, Michael Collins and most recently Kinsey,” he says.

“But I also wanted to show the full spectrum of his personality, from the strong and the serious to the relaxed and light-hearted. If you look at it for a while, you will see different details emerge.”

Speaking as the portraits were unveiled, Maura Quinn, Executive Director of UNICEF Ireland said “I want to thank Janet, Fionnuala and Willie who have generously given their time and talent to support UNICEF's work for children by donating these paintings. We are also very grateful to Art Ireland for allowing us this novel way to raise
vital funds during their Summer Collection Art Fair.”

Ms. Quinn also paid tribute to the three UNICEF Ireland Ambassadors portrayed in the paintings by saying “We are very grateful for their continued commitment to our work - their association with UNICEF Ireland helps us draw attention to and provide assistance for the poorest children in the world.”

Bids for the portraits of the trio will be accepted at the UNICEF Ireland stand at the Art Ireland Summer Collection on 13-15 May next. Visitors can also buy paintings and other works donated by artists exhibiting at the fair. On sale throughout the weekend, all proceeds will go towards assisting UNICEF Ireland's work on behalf of the
world's poorest children.

Ends

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[curious george]

Looks good!

cg

[Ace]

Interesting that the others are in B&W and Pierce is done in shades of blue. Lucky for him, blue's his color.

[sparklingblue]

Gorgeous! And his colour too. ;D

[Barbara]

I think when she talked about his moodiness, blue is the right colour, because it can be both joyful and sad. I like that the eyes themselves are the lightest part of the painting, and the darkness comes in as you go further and further away from those eyes.

She really did capture the neutrality he shows in public -- as in "I am not telling you what I think. I've said too much before, and I won't do that again."

-- B