Wow! Unique art design inspired by a Kilkenny town

The ancient heritage of Kilkenny and the future plans for planting more trees in one town have inspired a new piece of art.

As part of a project that is bringing the worlds of art and design together with the local community with the aim of adapting to climate change and connecting to the biodiversity crisis, the piece depicts Callan as you’ve never imagined it before!

Illustrator and lecturer at the University of the West of England Bristol, Sue Gent was commissioned to create the piece as part of Callan’s ‘Til Now project.

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It’s always interesting to have your ‘usual’ viewed through the eyes of an outsider, and with Callan Sue, who is based in the UK, has captured the area in a way that is both unique and will speak to everyone who knows the town. From the King’s River to the Moate Field, encompassing the wildlife and plants in the area, Sue’s design is full of intricate features. Most striking is her interpretation of the two local green areas as the ‘lungs’ of the town.

The print was created using a screenprinting technique, with a lot of consideration put into the choice of colours used, with Josh of 16 Tonne Press in Bristol.

“It was wonderful to create a poster as a celebration of this project. Although I live in Somerset, I’ve always loved visiting Ireland since I was involved with volunteer conservation work there in the 1990s,” Sue said.

“It was really inspiring to hear about the rewilding project in Callan, based on the research of Deirdre O’Mahony during her residency at Fennelly’s. Along with Eilis Lavelle (who worked on the ‘Til Now Project with Etaoin Holahan), I studied a map of Callan, and noticed how it was uncannily human-like in shape – and that the main areas for tree-planting were like lungs, and instrumental to the town’s air quality.

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“With that in mind, I created an image that was a kind of map/figure hybrid, inspired also by the carving of the Green Man in nearby Kilkenny and the future growth of the trees. I actually studied with Eilis years ago, so delivering the prints to Callan also marked a great reunion for us! I look forward to returning soon.”

Sue travelled to Callan, last week, to deliver a limited batch of her prints and was delighted to spend time in some of the places from her illustration.

The prints are now on sale exclusively from Fennelly’s on Bridge Street, Callan. They cost €60 and all proceeds will be donated to Unicef Ireland’s Gaza Emergency Appeal. You can see Sue’s work on Instagram @suegentart.