THERE is special tenderness when a community pulls together to support someone and a fine cause in times of difficulty. A Limerick-based architect and experienced teacher of art, Frank Bouchier has led a group art exhibition at Central Buildings that saw at least 30 per cent of all sale proceeds go to the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association. At least 20 works sold.
“Furthermore, we had an auction on opening night to which at least 90 people showed up,” Frank told Arts Page. “One painting by Lilian Carroll, ‘All Sides of Me’, sold for €400, and some artists are donating the full amount for which their painting sold.”
Lorraine Cronin O’Donnell is among his 10 adult students and dozen children who contributed art works. Having finished on Saturday last, “we had 75 paintings that were in watercolour, pastel, oil, acrylic and charcoal, all of them framed at the artist’s expense. Come winter, we will show works again in County Library, Dooradoyle between November 5 and 11, another fundraiser for the IMNDA.
“This all began when Lilian’s husband Paul died of Motor Neurone Disease last year and she asked us would we do an exhibition to fund the charity which relies on donations.” Special thanks for Sarah Cross, manager of CB1 on O’Connell Street who gave over this central space for free.
Frank Bouchier has an interesting practice, Hatters Castle Art Class & Studio on Ashbourne Avenue, having worked with ArtLimerick, Limerick Art Society and Gallery 75. He trained at NCAD and went on to qualify as an architect from Bolton Street.
Partly down to his experience working with Dublin Castle’s Garda squad sketching/ profiling ‘parties of interest’, this Wednesday saw him and local Transition Year students illustrating a mock trial in Limerick’s new courthouse with Circuit Court Judge Tom O’Donnell officiating. In a unique exercise led by The Law Society of Ireland, Frank then picked the winning sketch from the trial’s students in this jolly ‘live time’ exercise set to test their portrait skills.
