Seeing Beneath the Surface at Tullamore’s “SCRATCH” Gallery
Tullamore’s latest artistic endeavor is the brainchild of self proclaimed blow in Richard Brennan, the SCRATCH Gallery in Tullamore Library. The concept behind the pop up gallery launched by town mayor Paddy Rowland, at which local band Tae Lane played a set is that when we scratch beneath the surface of a community, we find a wealth of talent, as Tullamore has found out with the F13 event, and we as Rhymers found when we launched our group as the reincarnation of the former Tullamore Poetry Group of Vincent Wynter.
Vincents vision of a meeting not only of poets, but of people who love poetry but who may not write it, has come true, and yet not come true… initially it appears to come true, but we always find those who like it and claim they don’t write, invariably, so far, do, for themselves, in secret,and what great talents some of them have!!!
The same concept is on Scratch Gallery, a gallery of books, paintings and other media art forms, and of course musicians and poets, which will be on show in Tullamore Library in the run up to Christmas, where they can also be purchased.
Richards focus for the gallery, is that it not alone is a gallery to be seen and admired, but also a commercial outlet, where people of the town have the opportunity to support local artists, and consider perhaps the works of local artists as presents for their loved ones either at home, or as is all too often these days, abroad.
Akin to myself, Richard is of Longford extraction (his mothers people are Ballinamuck, both my parents are Ballinalee), with a keen ear, eye and passion for culture, in all its forms, from folk culture to the more formal established artistry, all of whom are seen in the SCRATCH gallery.
Each artist portray a style of their own, from pencil sketches, to oils, to the written, the spoken word and song, it truly is worth spreading the word of what was found when an outsider – and yet a near native as am I – finds when they scratch beneath the surface of the town they currently are privileged to call home.