A Roscommon artist who made the shortlist for a prestigious national portrait prize now has her work hanging in the National Gallery of Ireland.
Kathy Raftery’s love and passion for art was with her from her Ballinlough childhood and turned into a career after she completed an Arts degree and camera course at UCD followed by a master’s in film.
Now, a well-known independent filmmaker, she was shortlisted along with 25 other artists for the AIB Portrait Prize with her photograph ‘Fireside Beauty Parlour’.
While she did not win the overall competition, her work is now displayed in the National Gallery.
Kathy hopes the viewer sees “the simplicity, comfort, calmness and kindness” of the moment she has captured.
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The life of an artist can be tumultuous for anyone but the journey from rural Ireland can be harder as there are distinctly less opportunities in the rural counties for creatives.
However, Kathy stressed that Roscommon County Council’s arts office had been fantastic.
“I have received funding from the council for short films in recent years - the arts office in Roscommon has been fantastic.”
Kathy also receives huge support from her parents, Kathy and Pat, describing her mother as her best researcher.
“It is such an honour to have my photograph hanging in the National Gallery, it’s unbelievable really,” she stressed.
“There are thousands of entries every year across the country, allowing artists the chance to showcase their work in Ireland’s National Gallery.”
The exhibition will run until March in the National Gallery and then it will travel to Waterford and Donegal.
‘Fireside Beauty Parlour’ brilliantly captures that moment when the hair is washed and set, the curlers are in and netted, the hair dryer is awhoosh and the client dreams of being glamorous.
The setting is Williamstown just up the road from where she grew up on a small farm.
The photograph of Josephine Cullinane and niece-in-law Noreen Comer came about when Kathy went to ask Josephine’s husband Walter about “a World War II plane that crash landed in the village.”
Josephine started to tell some of her own life stories too, of her life in America where she worked as a maid.
While visiting Josephine in January 2024 Noreen was there doing her hair.
She was struck by “the way the light was hitting the two of them”.
“The way it was lit reminded me of the old masters, that calm moment lit by a single light source.”
She hopes the viewer sees “the simplicity, comfort, calmness and kindness” of the moment she has captured.
