Eilbhe Donovan

Eilbhe Donovan works from her garden studio in the picturesque South West of Ireland. Having studied Illustration in West Wales School of the Arts, Eilbhe worked as a decorative painter for many years before returning to Fine Art.

Her subject is wildlife, but in a contemporary minimalist style.

She achieves this by visiting reserves and marine environments to sketch, photograph, record and observe.

All image sources are the artist's own.  

Process: Paintings are using natural hair Chinese ink brushes, painting with water before applying ink using a pipette. This leaves the pigment to spread arbitrarily within the water film culminating in unpredictable results, none of which become truly apparent until fully dry.

The paper is very specific as it holds a strong yet fine line without splintering or bleeding into the fibres of the paper. Sustainably sourced from St Cuthberts Mill in Somerset on a 10m roll x 152.4cm, this large format means the work can be sized exactly. None of her pieces are the same size - the image and the subject dictates the format and size of the work. Working initially within a far larger size, the finished image is scaled down by tearing, a precise procedure using a hand ruler that can ruin a piece if not executed correctly.

In print, works are done with intaglio etching ink in the monoprint technique before running through the press, followed by further manipulation using pencil, acrylic ink and metal leaf.

This monoprint effect is something orphic, almost reticent. Marks made through the process are capricious because of the many variables – the final picture becoming a dreamlike transgression from the source image. 

Imaginings and stories develop through this process.

Eilbhe intends to create such stories, telling tales of the lives of her studies - the difficulties faced in this increasingly anti-wildife age. Her message is to communicate the dilemma facing us as one of many species in a shared world. She hopes her work will inform the viewer as such, create a quiet pensive space for admiration of our diverse world and the richness within it - to become aware, one must be still.

Her work delivers a peace, a simple beauty.

Discover contemporary artworks by Eilbhe Donovan, browse recent artworks and buy online. Categories: contemporary irish artists. Artistic domains: Printmaking. Account type: Artist , member since 2020 (Country of origin Ireland). Buy Eilbhe Donovan's latest works on Artmajeur: Discover great art by contemporary artist Eilbhe Donovan. Browse artworks, buy original art or high end prints.

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