R&F Abroad: Experimental Printmaking in Ireland
Dramatic coastal area at Downpatrick Head ten minutes from Ballycastle.
In 2018 and 2019, R&F Core Instructor Jeff Hirst taught experimental printmaking workshops at Ballinglen Arts Foundation in County Mayo in Ireland, an opportunity that came about through his connection to artist Rebecca Crowell. They met when they were both teaching at Cullowhee Arts in North Carolina. Rebecca admired the work being produced in Jeff’s workshop and he invited her to his studio in Chicago.
Workshop printing materials included Akua Intaglio inks and R&F Pigment Sticks.
In Jeff’s studio they worked on carborundum, monoprinting, and chine-collé, producing a suite of fifteen prints. Rebecca left to teach at Ballinglen a week later, taking a few of the prints with her, which she ended up exhibiting. When director Una Forde mentioned that they were looking for an additional printmaker to teach, Rebecca recommended Jeff. He submitted an application and was awarded a Fellowship, which meant that after he was finished teaching, he had the opportunity to stay for an additional six weeks producing his own work.
Ballinglen Arts Foundation is located in the small village of Ballycastle, which lies along the northern Atlantic coast. Many who visit find that it is an ideal location to contemplate and create. Ballinglen was started in 1992 by art appreciators Margo Dolan and Peter Maxwell, owners of Dolan/Maxwell Gallery in Philadelphia. Artists and instructors from around the world have come to Ballinglen to create in this idyllic atmosphere.
Jeff Hirst, Here not There, 30” x 22”, encaustic collagraph, drypoint, chine colle, 2019
Jeff’s classes at Ballinglen incorporate encaustic collagraph, carborundum, chine-collé, and found materials, in addition to combining painting and printmaking with R&F Pigment Sticks®. During his first year, Jeff had students salvage materials from what he affectionately referred to as the local ‘dump,’ which was basically a pile of building materials from an inn being remodeled. As Jeff notes, “sometimes just digging through a bunch of refuse will inspire you to work in a different way.” Jeff also had his students work with corrugated cardboard. The class quickly became familiar with when the local grocery store received shipments, taking advantage of the free cardboard boxes.
On a class tour of a 6,000 year old pre-historic farm lead by archeological tour guide and Irish boat builder Declan Caufiled.
In addition to teaching, Jeff takes his students to explore the local environment, visiting the gorgeous hiking areas of Benwee Head and Downpatrick Head, touring archeological sites, visiting abbeys, and exploring vast aquatic beaches and strands. Last year, Declan Caulfield, a local Irish boat builder and archeological tour guide, gave his classes a tour of a 6,000 year-old prehistoric farming community that his father, an archeologist at University of Dublin, had discovered and spent years excavating.
Jeff on top of a 13th century castle at Enniscrone Beach, an area rich with fossils.
During his time at Ballinglen as a fellow, Jeff came to realize how important serenity is for an artist. With its slow pace and deep quiet, Ballycastle is the polar opposite of his life in Chicago. Jeff rented a bicycle and rode around the village whenever he needed a break from creating.
In the fall of 2020, the Ballinglen Museum of Contemporary Art opened next door to the Foundation in Ballycastle. It houses over 350 pieces of art from past Fellows. Jeff’s work will be included in an upcoming exhibition, which will feature works on paper. He will also return to Ballinglen this fall to teach “Expanded Approaches Towards Printmaking” from September 27 to October 5, 2021. He will also co-teach “Taking Chances: An Experimental Drawing Workshop” with Ballinglen fellow Amy Metier from October 7 - 12, 2021.
There are still a couple of spots left in Jeff’s fall workshops in Ireland. To learn more about Jeff and to register for workshops, visit jeffreyhirst.com.