Ireland
Places can create an indelible visual impression that recurs for years, welling up unexpectedly even after long intervals of separation. I have been in residence at the Cill Rialaig artists' retreat in County Kerry, Ireland on two occasions.
I have also been working to reconstruct my ancestry, which has deep roots in the area of Kerry where Cill Rialaig is located. In the modern world it's difficult for us to imagine societies inhabiting a place for millenia, where your ancestors knew the same hills and weather and smells. There must have been claustrophobic aspects to this, but there would also have been a sense of place woven with tremendous emotional resonance. The watercolor paintings that follow are spontaneous imaginings, driven by mysterious yearnings. The titles are in the Irish language, which was nearly obliterated by centuries of British occupation but has enjoyed something of a rebirth in recent decades.