Mo Bhealach Féin - My Own Way
Mo Bhealach Féin
Teresa Kennedy
Tá Teresa Kennedy ina saoránach de phobhlacht bheag solais ar a dtugtar Caiseal na gCorr. Comharsanacht de chuid na bhflaitheas; Greenwich Village na ngrást; Montmartre na mistéire; Provincetown na bhféidearthachtaí. Is ise an cónaitheoir is ríoga i gCaiseal na gCorr, a ealaíontóir is urramaí.
Le corradh is tríocha bliain, tá sí i dtólamh ar thóir spiorad síoraistrithe Chaiseal na gCorr agus é a nochtadh aici ina cuid uiscedhathanna lonracha. Tá sí thar a bheith cumasach ag ceapadh na mearchastaí solais sin a tharlaíonn in aeráid na gcnoc. Go tobann, lasann cnoc suas le solas diamhair liathchorcra nó soilsíonn páirc i gceo ómrach nó gealaíonn deirge luí gréine dromchla gruama locha. Tá nádúr Teresa i dtiúin leis an solas beo seo, an solas gráinneach, drithleach seo a chlaochlaíonn cló na maidine nó a ardaíonn clapsholas go foirfeacht dhiaga. Tá sí faoi dhraíocht aige seo, ár ndrámá solais laethúil agus cosúil le Christina Rossetti, tuigeann sí go rí-mhaith “Dá mbeadh ar ár gcumas feiceáil le súile fadcheannacha, b'fhéidir gurb é seo Gairdín Pharthais.”.
Tá dúil mhór agam sa chiúnas oirthearach atá i mórán dá cuid pictiúirí. Is ionann iad agus nóiméid bheaga mhaisithe a lonraíonn le déine liriceach. Tá siad mar a bheadh haiku ina ndlús; bisíonn siad de thairbhe cáilíochtaí cothaithe an chiúnais. Mar adúirt Suzuki, eiseamláir mór an Bhúdachais Zen: “Nuair a dhéanann tú rud éigin, ba chóir duit tú féin a loscadh go hiomlán mar a bheadh tine chnámh mhaith ann agus gan aon rian duit fein a fhágail i do dhiaidh.” Is ionann é seo, sílim, agus íonacht na haire. Aire! Neamhspleáchas agus grinneas. Is iad seo suáilcí a mhotháim go láidir i gcuid saothar Teresa Kennedy. Aontaithe leis an rud ata sí a dhéanamh. Aire chúramach don neamh-mheánach, don mionshonra tábachtach.
Bhí sí i gcónaí flaithiúil lena tacaíocht d' ealaíontóirí úra a bhí ag teacht chun tosaigh inár gceantar. Macasamhail Johnny Appleseed nua-aimseartha na hEalaíne, bhí sí i gcónaí ag scaipeadh síolta na smaointe agus plandaí spreagthacha i gcréafóg ár gcomhfhios cruthaitheach. Is cinnte go bhfuil an borradh rathúil atá ar na healaíona sa pharóiste seo i láthair na huaire faoi chomaoin mhór aici de thairbhe a cuid fóirithinte agus tacaíochta le blianta fada.
Is ise ár bhfáidh ar na spásanna oscailte; is ise a dhéanann ceiliúradh ar an solas réaltach atá idir na cnoic. Mhúscáil sí ár dtuiscint ar iontaisí tírdhreacha; an ga gréine a mhoilleann ar dhroim agus ar chuar scamaill: loinnir na gealaí i bpoll bachta.
Gura fada buan a soilsí solas a hEalaíne uirthi chun muid a threorú isteach san fhásach Wordsworthian sin, áit ina mbeidh inchinn agus croí i ndán aontacht úrnua ceann scríbe a chur i réim.
- Cathal Ó Searcaigh
Ba phléisiúr mhór dúinne, onóir i ndáiríre, a bheith ag obair le Teresa agus muid ag cur an taispeántas seo le chéile. Is obair mhór do ealaíontóir ar bith dul i mbun saothar aisbhreathnaitheach a chur le chéile ach mar is dual do Teresa, rinne sí é go stuama modhúil. Bhí croineolaíocht le haimsiú agus b’éigean fáil i dteagmháil le mórán daoine a raibh saothair de chuid Teresa ina seilbh ar mhaithe le hiad a fháil ar iasacht.
Ba mhaith leis An Gailearaí buíochas ó chroí a thabhairt do na hiasachtóirí sin ná gan a bhflaithiúlacht ní fhéadfaí an taispeántas seo a chur ar siúl. Tá saothar ealaíne a théann siar 59 bliain sa taispeántas seo ach níl ann ach léargas beag ar an saothar an-mhór a thagann ó lámha Teresa go rialta. Ba mhaith leis An Gailearaí buíochas a thabhairt do Teresa as ucht ligint dúinn – agus cuidiú linn- an taispeántas seo a chur i láthair sa dóigh go dtig libhse, an lucht féachana, tuiscint agus meas a bheith agaibh ar a héirim agus ar a dúthracht.
- Úna Campbell
My Own Way
Teresa Kennedy
Teresa Kennedy is a citizen of a little republic of light called Caiseal na gCorr. It is one of the neighbourhoods of Heaven; a Greenwich Village of grace; a Montmarte of mystery; a Provincetown of possibilities. She is Caiseal na gCorr’s most regal resident, its most revered artist.
Over the past thirty years she has been consistently engaged in capturing the shifty spirit of Caiseal na gCorr in her luminous watercolours. She is marvelously adept at trapping those sudden shifts of light that occur in our hilly climate. Suddenly, a hill lights up mysteriously mauve or a field glows in an amber mist or a sunset flush brightens up the face of a gruff lake. Teresa is instinctually attuned to this vibrant light, this grainy, glimmery light that transfigures a morning or raises an evening to a divine perfection. She is held enthralled by this, our daily drama of light and like Christina Rossetti, knows full well that “Could we but look with seeing eyes, this very spot might be paradise”.
I love the oriental stillness of many of her paintings. They are small illuminated moments that glow with a lyrical intensity. They are haiku-like in their compactness; they thrive on the nourishing properties of silence. Suzuki the great exponent of Zen Buddhism, remarked: “When you do something, you should burn yourself completely like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself.” This, I think, is about purity of attention. Attentiveness! Detachment and clarity. These are virtues I sense very strongly in the work of Teresa Kennedy. Being one with what she is doing. Careful attention to the immediate, to the significant detail.
She has always been a generous encouragement of new talent in our area. Like a latter-day Johnny Appleseed of Art she has been scattering seedlings of suggestions and saplings of ideas in the soil of our creative consciousness. The present flourishing of the arts in the parish bears no small part to her ministering presence over many years.
She is our seer of open spaces; our celebrant of the stellar light between hills. She has made us alive to the awe of landscape; the lingering touch of sunlight on the swell and curve of a cloud: the glimmer of moonlight on bog pools.
May she continue by the light of her Art to lead us out into that Wordsworthian wilderness where head and heart can strike a new unity of purpose.
- Cathal Ó Searcaigh
It was a pleasure, indeed an honour, to work with Teresa on hosting this exhibition. Putting together a retrospective is a big undertaking for any artist and reliably Teresa conducted herself with grace and poise. A chronology had to be identified and many, many owners of her work had to be contacted to request the loan of her works. An Gailearaí would like to thank these lenders sincerely as this exhibition would not have been possible without their generosity. The exhibition spans 59 years and these works represent only a fraction of Teresa's prolific and consistent output. An Gailearaí thanks Teresa for allowing and assisting us in presenting this very special show, so that you, the audience, can appreciate her talent and commitment to her passion.