Ann McKenna

I am a painter and printmaker.

I describe my work as narrative, drawing inspiration from diverse stories ranging from Irish legends to familiar fairy tales, from romantic tragedies to the meanderings of James Joyce’s Leopold Bloom, to mention a few.

Having an interest in medieval manuscripts and early Christian art has influenced my approach to image making and I frequently use gold and silver leaf in my work, most particularly on pieces that relate to ancient legends. I see some Irish legends as a literary equivalent to found ancient artefacts, affording glimpses into a distant past and I often use fragmented imagery to help convey the antiquity of a story.

I work in oil, acrylic, ink, pencil and varying print techniques.

Draughtsmanship is essential to the potency of the narrative power of an image, and with this in mind, I attend life drawing regularly in the self- directed studio facility in the RHA.

My work is in state collections including DIAS, OPW, HSE and Kildare Municipal Art Collection as well as private collections in Ireland and abroad.