ON GROWING OLD | HARRY MCMAHON | 13 SEPT - 25 OCT

On Growing Old

Harry McMahon

13 September – 25 October

‘I started growing old on Tuesday 26 May 1937. I started feeling old on Friday 26 May 2023’ – H McMahon

Harry, now a retired Professor of Education from Ulster University, opens to scrutiny his past experience as a growing artist. Seven selected groups of paintings spanning the timeline of his work give insight into the stages in Harry’s creative development, starting with ‘Tentative Steps 1968 – 1979’, when as an untutored beginner he dabbled in oils. We then move through ‘Watercolours 1980 – 2000’, when his work was of a standard to feature in several solo and group exhibitions; and on into ‘Taking it Seriously 2000 – 2006’, featuring work produced during Harry’s degree studies leading to a First in Fine and Applied Art at Ulster University. In ‘Back to Oils 2006 -2024’ Harry, now professionally qualified, returns to his first love of the Irish landscape in oils, before ‘Breaking Away 2017 – 2024’ into science and mathematics, into movie land and into abstracts. The penultimate group of paintings on show were produced ‘In Good Company 2022 -2025’ on Inishlacken and at Annaghmakerrig. Finally (and for the time being) the paintings grouped in ‘Still Growing 2023 – 2025’ show how the artist is still finding new avenues for exploration, new things that are starting to happen: the manipulation of time; events both real and imaginary; a hint of surrealism.

Exhibition Launch | Saturday 13 September, 12noon. All welcome.

Please join us on Saturday 13 September at 12noon for the launch of this exhibition.