Padraig Cahill Artists Blog

"Together Apart" Sculpture Re-Sited

2011-11-20T04:00:00.001-08:00

Following the culmination of Cavan Fleadh 2011, the "Together Apart" Sculpture which had been temporarily sited on the grounds of Cavan Cathedral has now been moved to a permanent site in Con Smith Memorial Park Cavan.

New Sculpture Sited at Cavan Cathedral

2011-07-21T14:33:00.000-07:00

My sculpture "Together Apart", commissioned as part of the Peace III project was sited today. The sculpture will not be officially launched until the 29th of this month (July) but I thought I would treat you all to a sneak preview!

New Sculpture

2011-04-25T12:04:00.000-07:00

I have been commissioned to create a sculpture by the Peace III Project, along with 4 other sculptors, on the theme of peace. above is a concept image of my design. To explain the concept of the sculpture a little more here are the different aspects to the meaning of the sculpture and how they relate to peace.

The neagtive space between the two sculptures form the shape of a dove, the worldwide symbol for peace.
The two separate parts of the sculpture represent opposing sides/ conflict/ difference, yet together they can form something new and beautiful (the dove)
The sculpture allows for two people to sit facing each other and engage in conversation, togethereness was a key word mentioned in our last workshop.
The woods used in the sculpture will be sourced from Ireland and abroad (Africa, America, Europe...) , this again represents a coming together of nations.

Other work from Pride Exhibition 2010

2011-02-28T16:12:00.000-08:00

Work by the other artists in the Pride Exhibition, 2010. Only 8 months late! - but better late than never.

Pride Exhibition at Anglo Celt Buildings

2010-08-16T08:41:00.001-07:00

Below are images of my work on display in the Pride Exhibition in the Anglo Celt buildings. The exhibition opened on friday and runs for the duration of the Fleadh. I'll be following up this post with another showing samples of the work from the other artists in the exhibition.

The Other Fleadh 2010 Sculptures

2010-07-23T04:43:00.000-07:00

As promised below are images of the other public sculptures that were created as part of the Mórtas an Cabháin project.Ross Cochrane and Alan James Burns are also creating work for the project but their pieces will not be in place until close to the fleadh.

Dancing at the Crossroads - Bandstand, by Laura O' Connor

Dancing Shoes, mixed media, by Sally O' Dowd

Dance, Dance wherever you may be, by Tina Quinn

Fiddle, by Joey Burns

Willow, by Edwin Lynch

Play, by Anne O' Reilly

Upcoming Exhibition

2010-07-22T13:08:00.001-07:00

Currently working on a new body of work for next months exhibition in the Anglo Celt warehouse space in Cavan. It's a group show with the other artists who designed sculptures for the Fleadh 2010 in Cavan this year. Which reminds me that I had promised to post up images of the other Fleadh 2010 sculptures, i'll try do that tomorrow.

Anyway the exhibition theme is again fleadh related so it'll be something musical from me again although I'm thinking of doing something more representational rather than the conceptual or abstract that i'm used to. Time frame will also affect what approach I take but as it is a group show I'm only aiming for maximum 5 new pieces so it's not impossible, I hope! It's a short stint project so I'm definitely going to try something new anyway.

Website Update

2010-07-19T08:52:00.000-07:00

The Projects Section of the Website has now been updated to include details and images of the Four Players Sculpture. Click here to view or click on the projects link above.

I would also like to acknowledge the help of the following people who helped me during the making and siting of the sculpture. Without their help it would have been an impossible task.

Joe Doherty, John Gilsenan, Gary Kiernan, Ross Cochrane, Michael Mc Govern, Ross Sheridan, Liam Hyland, Mark Hyland, Terry Hyland, Niamh Cahill, Michael Reilly and Anita Reilly

Fleadh 2010 Sculpture

2010-07-08T14:46:00.001-07:00

Fleadh 2010 Sculpture

2010-07-08T14:39:00.000-07:00

Some decent photos of the finished sculpture as promised, albeit a day late. They are quite large though and i'm too lazy to scale them down at the minute so i'll just upload them 1 per post.

Developed one more skill during the finishing touches stage when using a sodering iron an wire to create a metal seal within the knots on the "string" sculpture so as to stop the knots unravelling over time. It's a very simple tool to use and I can see myself using it a lot for my next project - more on that in due course.

Fleadh 2010 Sculpture

2010-07-06T16:17:00.000-07:00

Very very very long day today. But at last the sculpture is complete (ALMOST) and in place. Massive shout out to my mate Garry who was a huge help today and stuck it out through wind, rain, set backs and 12 hours with me! Only had my camera phone at hand and it was raining so they are pretty poor quality. Doing a few touch ups tomorrow so will post up some final images then if all goes well.

Fleadh 2010 Sculpture

2010-06-23T12:05:00.000-07:00

Having returned from my (well deserved) holidays the last two days have been an intensive attempt to make up for lost time. All materials have now been sourced, delivered, cut to size and treated where necessary. This includes the copper, string, hoop hooks, wood and canvas.

The copper, which was originally supposed to be brass (recession restrictions), looks really well I must say and it compliments the deep stained and satin sealed wood. It is cut to size and just needs to be slotted into it's housing and glued for added strenght. Sounds easy but the act of lining up the 16 copper pipes and the 5 steel support columns into their respective housings top and bottom will be awkward to say the least. I think I might delegate and oversee that particular job now that I think of it!

The wood for the "accordian" shaped piece has begun it's assembly process and should be ready to slot into place after some sanding down to ensure a snug fit.

And finally the most tedious job of the past two days had to be the painting and wetherproofing of 250 hoop nails. These will act as the eyelets for the string to be looped through, tensed and secured. These will be very secure and the black weatherproof paint matches the black of the treated steel while also ensuring the nails do not rust and discolour.

Tommorow should see the much awaited waxing of the canvas as well as (hopefully) the copper pipes and the angled wood sections being placed.

Fleadh 2010 Sculpture

2010-06-09T15:04:00.000-07:00

The structural frames of the 4 sculptures are now complete. The steel frames slotted nicely into the housings that I had routed out and were secured with 8 x 8mm coach screws, 4 top and 4 bottom. With these in the place the sculpture now has an extremely solid structure on which to add the rest of the "external" materials. The first of which i hope to add tomorrow, that being the canvas which will be pre-treated with wax and beeswax to seal and weatherproof it. For the minute though it remains in it's skeletal state as seen below.

Fleadh 2010 Sculpture

2010-06-07T15:43:00.000-07:00

A very frustrating week working on the sculpture since my last post. The bases and lids recieved their final coats of stain and the external elements of the "accordian" sculpture were also stained. Aside from these positives it has been a week of very slow progress.

I was never aware of the difficulties in drilling steel before now! I won't bore you with the details(excuse the pun) but suffice to say that the 32 punch holes, 64 pilot holes and 64 8mm diameter holes in the steel to accomodate the coach screws took a lot longer to complete than i had anticipated!

After all that i feel the need to remind myself of what i'm aiming for....

Fleadh 2010 Sculpture

2010-05-30T15:39:00.000-07:00

The pieces of the puzzle are beginning to fit! Having routed out the housing for the steel frames I was more than glad to see they were a snug fit.

I am pleased i went to the extra effort of routing out individual housings for the steel frames as they add to the strong, crisp finish of the sculptures. The discs still need another two coats but one that is done the frames will be coach bolted into to the discs to secure them in their final position. Work on the external elements is tentatively underway but these can progress full steam ahead once the frames are set in place. But as for now i still have 8 hot cross buns awaiting another couple of coats of stain!!

Fleadh 2010 Sculpture

2010-05-29T15:29:00.000-07:00

I'm here offering thanks to the assistance of others once again!! This time Ross Cochrane was on hand assisting with the staining of the discs. The first coat of the teak coloured stain wa rubbed in to get it as deep into the grain of the wood as possible. This will maximise the protection it offers the wood from the harsh Irish weather. Two more coats will follow and with that the wood will be totally sealed and fully protected. Here is what it looks like at the minute.

Meanwhile the I worked on routing out the grooves for the steel to fit into the discs. This will allow the steel to be flush with the surface of the discs as opposed to sitting on top of it. This will offer a better visual finish and be more structurally secure than if the steel was simply put on top of it. the steel will then be glued and coach bolted into the wood. The grooves create an interesting shape in the wood, maybe today was the day the sculpture was blessed!

As for the steel itself, it is now fulled treated and I am really pleased with the outcome. The shapes look very interesting and both the positive and negative spaces gives you lots to look at. When combined with the various materials that will surround them I can now anticipate a kalidascope of linear visuals to both attract and distract the viewer.

Fleadh 2010 Sculpture

2010-05-27T05:25:00.000-07:00

Bit of a set back yesterday. After a meeting with both the area and town engineers I am now once again without a site. Unfortunately it is not possible for the site to be altered to meet my requirements so I'm on the hunt once again. Although I already have a few sites in mind i'm not going to rush into anything and instead really analyse the sites abilities to meet my needs and comply to the cost and safety requiremnets of the engineers. Hopefully it's third time lucky.

Fleadh 2010 Sculpture

2010-05-21T15:26:00.001-07:00

Completed the remaining 5 disc since i last posted so as previously mentioned the more detailed elements of the sculpture can now be focussed upon. I've included an image of the setup for routing out the discs from the laminated wood lenghts. The router is centred on a pivot and I basically walk around in circles slowly lowereing the router blade after each rotation until the disc is complete. However this left me looking much like a donkey chasing a carrot attached to his head, as joe was more than happy to point out to me.

However, my exercise was not as pointless as that of the donkey and i now have 8 of the discs, as seen below, completed.

Fleadh 2010 Sculpture

2010-05-19T15:43:00.001-07:00

Taking form now - literally. The process of routing out the circular bases is an arduous one but is the most accurate method and as they are such an integral part of the sculpture I think they are worth the effort. The disc pictured above (alongside the cut offs) is the first of 8. I actually like the form as it is pictured above and am already planning a series inspired by it. Need to finish the current project first though! Three discs done so far with 5 to do. Each one takes approx 3 hours to rout! Hope to be finished by friday and then the other elements of the sculpture, (canvas, string, brass and more wood), can start to come into play.

Fleadh 2010 Sculpture

2010-05-14T15:14:00.000-07:00

Leaning on the expertise of others again today! Out at Elliots workshop today making use of theri excellent facilities. Put all the wooden bases and lids through the giant drum sander to get them exactly flat and flush.

This will ensure the sculptures sit perfectly flat on their concrete plinth, which is obviously vital considering their height, don't want them swaying in the wind. Of course they will be bolted to the concrete base too and this will also be easier if they are flush with the concrete. Turning the bases into their final circular form is next on the agenda. Hope to post up some photos of them tomorrow.

Fleadh 2010 Sculpture

2010-05-09T04:21:00.001-07:00

Another productive day at the workshop yesterday, mainly due to the input of my "welding technician" John Gilsenan. The internal steel frames that will hold the sculptures together are now completed. They are not much to look at, as you can see, but it is their function that i'm concerned about! without them the sculptures wouldn't stay standing for long.

The next step is to weather proof the steel and the wooden bases and then once thats done I can focus on the more detailed and inticated parts of the sculptures. It might actually start looking like a sculpture soon!!

Fleadh 2010 Sculpture

2010-04-27T15:08:00.000-07:00

Just in from the workshop and, thanks to the excellent assistance of Joe Doherty, I managed to meet my target of getting the last of the 8 base and lid structures assembled. Great to see the basic structure and form coming together, since the original design period the buzz of the project had lulled a bit, which is a common occurance for me mid-projects, but I'm starting to get excited again. Here are a few pics of the assembly process and the 4 litres of glue that went into joing them.

Fleadh 2010 Sculpture

2010-04-26T15:06:00.000-07:00

Been sick recently so the work on the sculpture was on standstill but back on track now. Got the 6th of the 8 structural bases and lids glued up today and hope to have the other 2 finished tomorrow. Internal steel structures are also nearing completion. I'll post up some pictures of the 8 bases tomorrow hopefully. Still lots of work to do on them after that - need to sand them in a drum saw, round them off with a band saw, treat them for outdoor use, stain them, carve the openings for the steel....... I'm gonna be busy.

Good news on the site though - looks like a newly landscaped site across from the Hotel Kilmore will be home to the 4 players sculpture come June.

Fleadh 2010 Sculpture

2010-04-14T11:44:00.000-07:00

OK, so I've been commissioned to do a sculpture for the Fleadh in cavan this year along with 7 or 8 other artists. The process actually started a while ago but as I'm only getting the blog going now I'll do a quick recap and we'll go from there. Basically the sculpture needs to relate to the fleadh somehow(fair enough!) and I have to have it ready to be sited by the begining of June.

I've been working on it for a couple of months already and it's taking shape nicely but i've had to change my site as the RSA (Road Safety Authority) reckon it will be a distraction to drivers! you'd think i was putting a giant nude in the middle of the road! Considering the sculpture consists, or will consist, of 4 cylindrical shapes made from different materials and with differing internal designs I was disappointed by this. Regardless a new site has been found, and with the promise of it being suitably landscaped I am happy enough.

As the deadline approaches and it all heats up I'll try to keep you all updated on my progress. To get your curiosity up here is the old "artists impression"!!