A Ballina-born artist is returning to his roots with two new exhibitions opening in the town this week.
Val McLoughlin, whose work has been exhibited across Ireland, the UK and the United States, is presenting Quarters at Ballina Arts Centre and Out of Ink at Ballina Library.
A founding member of the Ox Mountain Poets and the founder of the weekly life drawing class at Ballina Arts Centre, McLoughlin is best known for his abstract work, combining painting, printmaking and poetry.
Quarters features paintings inspired by regular visits to the River Moy between 2016 and 2020, while Out of Ink showcases expressive ink works created using Chinese inks on Japanese Ho Sho paper.
The exhibitions explore themes of landscape, memory and place, reflecting the artist’s long-awaited return to his hometown after studying and working away for many years.
Quarters runs at Ballina Arts Centre from Friday, August 8th until September 26th, while Out of Ink is on display at Ballina Library from August 6th to 27th. Admission to both exhibitions is free.
