Talented artists exhibit at AE Russell gallery in Lurgan

The exhibition, called By the People for the People, will showcase the work of Arlene Marks, Tom Loughran, Dwyer McKerr and Damian May and will run this month at the gallery in William Street, Lurgan.

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It has been organised by AEON Community Arts which is a cross-community arts group based in Lurgan that provides workshops to the wider community whilst also promoting the artwork and poetry of AE Russell. A spokesperson for the group said: “It has a focus on using art to support and promote mental wellbeing.”

The four-week exhibition recently featured the work by Arlene Marks in its first week. Subsequent weeks are featuring artwork by Tom Loughran, Dwyer McKerr, and Damian May.

Tom Loughran’s work is currently featuring at the space. A Lurgan-based artist who studied at Ulster University, Tom says his work is inspired by the surrealistic and impressionist movement and he has a particular interest in the work of Salvador Dali and Vincent Van Gogh. He works on large scale canvases which require huge wall spaces. His works explore dreams, escapism and have elements of Irish Mythology.

Dwyer McKerr is a Lurgan based artist, tutor and facilitator. He has been an active member of the Shore Collective, a locally based group of artists and musicians, since its establishment in 2010. He is primarily a draughtsman and painter and approaches his themes reflexively. His work examines subjectivity and space through landscape and environment.

Damian May is a self-taught pencil artist who focuses on portraiture of people and animals. He tries to capture true likeness and fine details of his subjects. His work recently featured in the US-based Colored Pencil Magazine.

Commenting, Arlene Marks said: “It was a pleasure to exhibit my work at 12 William Street and I was delighted that the works were acquired by a Mental Wellness clinic in Antrim. It’s really important that we support artists in the local area and this exhibition is a great way to help other artists from Lurgan to get exposure for their talent.

"I would encourage local people to come down to the space to see Tom’s work this week and both Damian’s and Dwyer’s work when it is on show,” said Arlene.

The exhibition at 12 William Street will be open every day of the week 1pm to 5pm and all members of the community are welcome to visit. There will be a wine and cheese evening this Thursday 8th June for Damian May’s opening night which is open to the public.

George William Russell, who wrote with the pseudonym Æ, was an Irish writer, editor, critic, poet, painter and political figure. He was born in Lurgan in 1867 the second son of Thomas Russell and Mary Armstrong. His father, the son of a small farmer, became an employee of Thomas Bell and Co., a prosperous firm of linen drapers. He was considered by many to be the equal of Yeats by the turn of the 20th century.