Patricia Murphy lives and works in Blackrock, County Louth. She studied painting, print and textiles at The National College of Art and Design, Dublin. Her work is held in many collections including those of The Department of Arts, Culture & Gaeltacht, The Central Bank of Ireland, Dundalk Institute of Technology and RTE.

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Patricia was commissioned in 1999 to make two pieces for opposite walls in County Hall. She was asked to respond to the themes of the Agriculture of County Louth, Past and Present and the Industry of County Louth, Past and Present.

I did a lot of research on both themes and was astounded by the variety of past industry in Louth and how the agriculture practices of the county serviced these industries. In the end I concluded that the artwork should celebrate the labour and talent of the people of County Louth and should acknowledge in this in a visual and practical way. My ideas for agriculture referenced the landscape, crops of wheat and barley, fishing and cattle and sheep rearing, all of these activities have been taking place in this area over the centuries, I also made reference to the mythological cattle epic, the Táin. The artwork relating to industry explored the history of manufacturing in this area and included a reference to Gerda Fromel’s iconic sculpture at PJ Carroll’s old factory, Sails. To practically celebrate the labour of the people of Co. Louth (with the help of the Arts Office), I organised a workshop where 100 people of all ages and backgrounds were invited to make a handprint and I transferred these to a silk screen and printed them on to the final artwork. They are an integral part of the finished paintings but are realised in such an understated way that you would need to look carefully to see them.

Find out more about this artist here: www.patriciamurphyartist.com