That's a wrap! PIGSY Exhibition in La Casa Amarilla, Malaga

PIGSY Exhibition in La Casa Amarilla

PIGSY’s Spanish Art Exhibition is “cerrado”

What a roller-coaster ride it’s been over the past few weeks since my exhibition opened in La Casa Amarilla on 27th of March. From the opening day until closing on Tuesday 20th of April it has been Go Go Go! The high of the incredible opening day (see pics here) just kept going and I was busy all month with callers to the exhibition and giving tours and talks to visitors and groups. If I was in the gallery when visitors called in I had a great time chatting with them and answering their questions. And if I wasn’t in the gallery it was fantastic to see reactions of visitors on social media as most tagged the PIGSY instagram and twitter. - as pictured, there were even some visitors of the four legged variety!

Art sponsored by San Miguel

My exhibitions in the past in Ireland have been sponsored by beer makers. O’Brother Brewing sponsored my first show in The Kemp Gallery while Hope Beer sponsored my exhibition in Fumbally Exchange. It was apt then to again be sponsored by a beer company for my latest art exhibition. But what a beer company!

“I Went to Mass” in La Casa Amarilla was sponsored by none other than the famous Spanish Cerveza “San Miguel”. As I raised a San Miguel beer at the art exhibition, I gave both the Irish toast of “Sláinte” and Spanish “Salud”. Both of these toasts mean Health….but I think they brought me good luck too!

Sold! Yellow is the new red dot!

The translation of “La Casa Amarilla” is “The Yellow House”. So of course it makes sense for the gallery to use yellow dots in place of the traditional red dot when art sells. It was a great moment to see Gallery Director David Burbano place the first yellow dot on to a sold PIGSY art work. The first sale is always exciting and having seen lots of red dots in the past, I enjoyed seeing the unique La Casa Amarilla yellow dot go up on the wall.

The art work in the photograph with David placing the yellow dot on it is a framed paper study. You can read more about the process of creating this artwork at the bottom of this blog. It has been framed by a local craftsman in a way that I specified in order to highlight the art and to show it to it’s best potential. They are a very accessible piece and can be easily shipped any where in the world. One of these art works was recently posted in the mail to County Cork in Ireland and the new collector was delighted to receive it promptly and get it up on the wall of their home.

It excites me to think that there will now be a number of PIGSY art works gracing the walls of homes in Spain and I know one piece is destined for Marbella to be included in a collector’s contemporary art collection. As an Irish artist it is always awesome when you see your art travelling beyond the shores of Ireland - in recent times one of my pieces was shipped to a home in Canada and knowing that they are now hanging on walls in Spain is a great thing too! See below for some of the artworks that have now sold as part of the Malaga exhibition “I Went to Mass” and also some photos of visitors to the exhibition.

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An Altar of Art

I created a large feature wall of art studies, as part of the exhibition, of which the concept is that it becomes an “Altar of Art”. These studies are now available for sale and you can choose your favorite one which I will then frame in a bespoke custom frame specified by me. As a fun alternative, you can ask me to select one for you and I will then frame it without showing you which one I have chosen for you. The framed piece of artwork will then be posted to you and will make for a surprise when you open it as it is at this point that you will see which art work you are now the proud owner of!

See below for the “Altar of Art” of which you can choose a study to be framed and mailed to you…..or I can mail to someone else of your choosing if you know an art lover who would enjoy receiving it as a special gift from you.

See here for further information about this unique range of artworks and what the finished concept looks like. They will make a nice addition to any home and are great for anyone starting their contemporary art collection.

“I Went to Mass” artworks

See here for all of the artworks in the exhibition or contact David Burbano in La Casa Amarilla for further information, availability and pricing, etc..

Working and Creating Art in times of Covid

Creativity during the Covid Crisis

Life goes on they say. And it is true, life does go on. Sometimes not life as we know it but life does go on.

Interruption

We can now see that Covid 19 has been the great disruptor of life in 2020 and has changed the face of the way we live. Plans have been changed or thwarted, livelihoods have been put on hold and personal agendas have been skewed. For example, one has to feel empathy for couples who had been planning 2020 weddings for the past few years who, if allowed to hold the wedding at all, must reduce attendees dramatically along with hosting a socially distanced shell of a ceremony, which has only a passing resemblance to what their original event was to be. But of course all of this all pales in to comparison knowing that there are families who have lost loved ones to this disease.

PIGSY Plans

For me, I had planned a much earlier move to Spain to paint fulltime. I originally intended to be fully moved by the end of March however lockdown in Dublin put paid to that plan and I eventually was able to travel and move out to Malaga by the end of July.

Additionally I had a showing planned in Los Angeles in April 2020. That also came to an end with the advent of Covid. Unbelievably at the beginning of March I was still under the illusion that this would take place. It took time to realise that Covid was going to interrupt most plans and there was not going to be live art showings for sometime.

Every October for the past 5 years I’ve held a large solo PIGSY exhibition or event. This year not so. Again it is all thanks to Covid. But as I said at the top, life goes on. I’ve already been approached with a proposal for a showing in February 2021 here in Malaga in Spain and so I will begin to work towards that. I’ve also been really busy doing loads of other arty and creative work (particularly in regards to the business end of things). Life goes on and the art business does too!

Archiving Art

The business end of being an artist is definitely not as fun as the creative part but it is crucial. Over the years I’ve created and amassed a large amount of art (I paint fast!) in many different formats including sculptures and 2D works. Archiving all of these pieces is so important and it is something that you need to commit a lot of time to. Now that I am working full time as an artist I have the time to give over to archiving my work and am bringing my archive fully up to date. Coupled with the fact that I am now working more so therefore creating more work so again this reiterates how important it is to stay on top of this element of work.

Art Website Work

Again this is more of the business end of being a professional artist but in this evermore globalised and connected world it is so important for artists to have an up to date website which showcases their work. I started to redesign my website back in March when Ireland went in to lockdown. Now I am working on adding and updating content (blogs, video and artwork) along with setting up the PIGSY merchandise store and also doing some work on SEO etc.

Art Studio Time

Of course the biggest thing that a professional artist needs to do is work in the studio in order to create a body of work. It can sometimes be hard to fit that in here in Malaga with everything that is going on and all of the other work that needs to be done. Also on top of all of this I am learning to speak Spanish so I need to do work on that too!

But days are long here. I found that working the 9 to 5 is probably not the best thing. Here days start early with businesses opening early and then closing for a long lunch and then reopening in the late afternoon and staying open much later than back home in Ireland.

We have got in to a nice groove of going for an early coffee and then doing some business work with me heading to the studio from about 3pm until 8pm. And then we eat dinner about 9pm which is a big change from back in Ireland where we ate dinner much much earlier.

With my studio only being a short 5 minute walk from my apartment it all works out nicely and I get to paint and create loads. Within a very short time when I arrived, I was feeling reenergized and invigorated and have been making some awesome pieces - the light helps a lot!

Art Exhibition Planning

I’m always aiming towards my next exhibition and now having a date in early 2021 for the next PIGSY showing I have plenty of work to do. As well as creating a body of work for the exhibition there is all tof he incidentals additional to an event that needs to be planned. My last large scale event was the PIGSY Art & film Screening in Fitzwilliam. I always like to think about extra details for my events and at this event I created a signature cocktail “The Pigtail” which was enjoyed by all of my guests along with extra special canapes created by the club chef. Watch this space to see what I come up with for February 2021!!

Art Marketing and Promotion

I’ve been working on my PIGSY art brand for many years now and luckily there is huge brand awareness in regards to my art. This is essential at all times but definitely more so in a time like this. My style and brand is extremely distinctive and very recognizable. I have built a large following of collectors of my work over the past few years and they appreciate hugely what I do and will want to see what I am up to and what I next produce. I am so very grateful to all of them and love sharing my work with them. I also love to introduce my work to those who are not familiar with the art work of PIGSY - it is through my brand that I can do this during these times of Covid.

PIGSY Art Merchandise

I have been designing a range of “art wear” products featuring my art over the past few months. It was something that I wanted to do for a long time as I’ve always thought that many of my edgier artworks would work really well on T-Shirts but also because I have been asked by so many people if I would print my artwork on to merchandise. Well I always aim to please, particularly for fans of my work, so I launched a collection of PIGSY art products quietly last week on my website and it is great to see them selling now. The enamel outdoor cups, in particular, are proving to be very popular! If we weren’t living with Covid I would have been able to hold a large scale launch party similar to some of my past exhibition openings with a DJ and cocktails and a large crowd invited to a live showing of the “art wear” pieces in the collection. But for now a virtual launch did the trick with the t-shirts, bags and mugs available to buy here on my website.

Keep going and stay positive

As I started out saying in this blog, life goes on. As we can see Covid has brought great disruption but it has also brought positive changes. Families have got to spend more time with each other, we have learnt to bake bread and we have looked out for and helped each other.

Stay strong and keep going

This will end and we will prevail. Let’s support each other, shop local and support the arts (it’s never been more important for us to create at this time) and remember Art always Helps!

"Pigsy" Short Film Screening & Art Showcase Event in Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club

PIGSY Film Screening and Art Showcase

Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club - Tuesday 3rd of October 2019

An Art Exhibition and Documentary Screening with Pigsy

PIGSY Art Showcase

Recently I got the opportunity to present a showcase of my artwork along with a screening of Mike Andrew’s “Pigsy” short film. After the film, Kevin Moore of Legacy Communications interviewed me live where we discussed my art, my process and growing up with Dyslexia and how art helps me with dyslexia.. I really enjoyed the whole event and there was a great response to my art work and the short film, with lots of interesting questions from the audience.

Art on Court!

I’ve always thought that a squash court would make the most amazing space to exhibit art. Well for this event I was given that very opportunity by the Fitzwilliam Club. My art was displayed in two courts - one being the incredible show court in the club with bleacher seating for an audience for over 100 people. The art looked spectacular in the court and a carpet was laid down on the court to protect the wood floor.

Signature Cocktail - The “Pigtail”

All in all it was a fun night - helped in part by the Pigsy signature cocktail - the “Pigtail” - designed for the evening by myself and the bar manager of Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club!

Curator Steve Kemp, sets the scene:

Ciarán McCoy is a member of the Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club

Pigsy paints abstract neo-expressionistic art pieces

Ciarán McCoy was born on the Northside of Dublin

Pigsy emerged at the blackboard of his primary school during break time

Ciarán McCoy was diagnosed with dyslexia as a child

Pigsy deals with his dyslexia by throwing off the shackles that have bound him in life and developing a free form style of painting where traditional structure and spelling mistakes are ignored

Ciarán McCoy plays squash

Pigsy uses whatever materials come to hand to produce his artworks but mainly spray paint, oil-paints-sticks, acrylics and chalk

Ciarán McCoy is an award winning architect

Pigsy has exhibited in Dublin, London and Florida

Ciarán McCoy established his architectural practise in 2005

Pigsy hosted a sold out show of his works in Fumbally Exchange, Dublin in 2017

Ciarán McCoy is an avid Irish speaker

On October 3rd two worlds crossed over as PIGSY exhibited his work where Ciarán McCoy usually comes to play

Ciarán McCoy is PIGSY is Ciarán McCoy

PIGSY is ART

PIGSY video directed by Mike Andrews

"Nostalgia's Not What it Was" Fumbally Exchange

PIGSY Solo Exhibition

“Nostalgia’s Not What it Was” , Fumbally Exchange, Dublin

Here's a few photos from my recent exhibition "Nostalgia's Not What it Was" in Fumbally Exchange in early October 2017. This was the second PIGSY solo show after the sell out success of my first one the year previously in The Kemp Gallery on South Frederick Street.

“Nostalgia’s Not What it Was” was held over 4 days and nights in Fumbally Exchange on Dame Lane, Dublin. Each night of the exhibition was themed slightly differently and catered for different audiences.

PIGSY Opening Night: Thursday 5th October 2017

Opening night was a busy affair. There was a large attendance and there was a brilliant buzz about my art with most of it selling out on the first night. Most guests had been at my previous solo show and were on the guest list. Manning the front door were twins Enid and Amy in their matching PIGSY branded t-shirts and they gave everyone a friendly greeting as they arrived. Extra to the guest list attendees there was also lots of drop in’s as Dame Lane is a busy street and people passing by could see the art and so they wanted to get in on the PIGSY action and have a look at the art too. For this event, I served prosecco along with a red and white wine offering (thanks to Pembroke wines). Irish craft beer makers Hope Beer also were in attendance and they brought along their tasty beers which went down a treat with my guests.

Street Night: Friday 6th October 2017

This was an edgier event than opening night. I had advertised it on Facebook and the guests that signed up to attend were more alternative to those who visited on the first night. I had a DJ playing a full set for the evening and again Hope Beer served beers to the crowd. Word spread fast and there was large amount of attendees. The vibe was very positive and the response to my art was phenomenal with loads of people sharing images on to social media which I always love!

Chilled out Art: Saturday 7th October 2017

The Saturday night event was far more mellow than the other nights. It was a case of playing a specially created playlist and serving wine to a select group of invited guests or guests who had already visited on the other nights but wanted to return to see the art in a quieter setting where they could get to talk to me about the artwork.

Family Day: Sunday 8th October 2017

Sunday being the last day of the event meant that it was beginning to wind down and the exhibition was on display from 12pm to 5pm. I had been promoting the last day on social media so I was being contacted from early on by people saying they had not got in over the weekend so they would call in on Sunday. Also my family had been invited in on this day and so some of them visited at different points over the day. I had laid on flasks of coffee and brunch style snacks for all who visited on Sunday and it was a really nice sociable day. At 5pm there was still people coming to the door of the gallery and viewing the art so in the end I closed the doors at 6pm and not at the earlier time as previously planned!