When I first arrived in Ballycastle, I had wanted to paint the whole world; the huge sky, the inky deep, and the monumental cliffs. However, the idea of ‘Ireland’ had only ever existed for me as a literary figment, a country to dream about from the other side of the globe.

Gradually, in the daily practice of walking to and from the studio, my work became contained, and reconciled to these dueling concepts. Each time I walked past the statue depicted here in "The Living and the Dead," I thought about the literary space of Ireland, all the while embedding myself in the real place.         - Christobel Kelly