FOREWORD Five sisters & a family tree is a new body of ceramics from Susan O’Byrne. It offers a very personal journey into a private world. “I’m taking inspiration from my own family history, specifically my mother’s side of the family who migrated from Germany to Ireland in the mid 1800s. The five sisters are my grandmother and her four sisters. They will each be represented by a ceramic animal, and are the largest pieces in the exhibition.” Susan writes: “Our childhoods are filled with animal images, their many names, shapes, colours and patterns fuel our early imaginations. Throughout history animals have also been used in storytelling, legend and folklore to simplify the complexities of adult life. In the same manner, I use the animal form as a vehicle for the expression of human emotions.”
Deer with tree blanket, 2015. 880x730x280mm
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