Syra

There's something magical about Kerry, its ability to inspire great art and artists is as legendary as its footballers. One such artist who has made Kerry her home is Syra Larkin, and Louise Cody, of Gallery 53, is hosting an exhibition of Syra's figurative paintings titled Going Solo at Gallery 53 on Capel Street in Dublin.

"We've lived in the Maharees for almost 30 years," explains Syra. "We discovered the place by accident. My husband, Chris, and I were holidaying in Ireland, visiting Chris' relatives in New Ross. His boss had hired a cottage in Kilshannig and couldn't make it so he offered us the cottage for a week. We fell in love with the place immediately."

Syra, who studied art at Hammersmith College of Art in London, and Chris packed up their belongings in a tiny Renault and open topped trailer and moved to Ireland in 1977. They've lived in the Maharees ever since.

Syra's love of her home and family life shines through in the immediacy of her exquisite work. Using family and friends, the past and present and images or ideas that she finds striking as the subject of many of her paintings, Syra's work evokes an almost Picasso-esque view of the world.

Her paintings of a group of Pilot Whales that beached themselves in the Maharees in 2002 and the tender care lavished on them by people of the area reveals an empathy that is excruciating to behold, while her painting of her autistic nephew, Eamon, is, after a moments glance, equally as revealing and indicative of autism, to my uncultured mind at least, as one of my favourite films, Rain Man.

"When people ask me about my work I often feel at a loss to put into words what I do," says Syra. "I feel that in some way everybody wants to tie you up into a neat little package but, like most things in life, it's not that easy to explain or understand the things we do."

Perhaps it's best not to explain. Perhaps it's best to simply look and wonder at the beauty of the work.

For more information on Syra Larkin please visit the Shoreline Studio in Kilshannig, Castlegregory but please call first to make sure it's open! Syra may be contacted on 066 713 9330 by email syra@syralarkin.com or on the web at www.syralarkin.com

For more information on Gallery 53 please contact Louise Cody on 086 326 0118 or by email gallery53@hotmail.com Gallery 53 is located on 53 Capel Street in Dublin.