Monarch, an exhibition of over thirty new paintings by artist Luke McMullan, will be launched at the Kenny Gallery in the city’s Liosbán Retail Park this Friday, July 14, as part of the Galway International Arts Festival. Luke works in a diverse range of mediums and techniques and all his paintings are for sale.

Luke’s introduction to art came through writing graffiti in the 1990s, when he adopted the pseudonym ‘Stix’. He has been honing his craft ever since and while he no longer paints on walls, the organic and adaptive nature of graffiti is still at the foundation of his work.

Monarch celebrates the transformative power of renewal and invites viewers to reflect on their own potential for growth and transformation.

Poet Gerry Hanberry will launch the show this Friday at 6pm and all are welcome to attend

Monarch can be viewed in the gallery and online at www.thekennygallery.ie. It will run until August 8.

Also, as part of the Galway International Arts Festival, Saolta Arts is hosting Salthill Reveries by The Hare’s Corner Collective, a group of artists living in West Galway.

It will be on show at the Arts Corridor of University Hospital Galway from this Sunday, July 17, until Wednesday, August 30.

Salthill Reveries is a visual celebration of place, viewed through the eyes of Sacha Hutchinson, Hilary Morley, Ursula Murry and Geraldine O’Rourke. Using paint, collage and photography, they each express what this place means to them.

Their images capture the sights and sounds: the sea, the shelters, and people of all ages, swimming, diving, walking, and chatting. Sea birds are prominent, as are winter sea swimmers, the changing skies and weather.

They describe it as ‘a promenade’ of all that is Salthill’.

Working in gouache and oil, Sacha Hutchinson presents a series of happy images of everyday life on the prom, with an emphasis on birdlife.

Hilary Morley uses collage, observing the divers at Blackrock Tower, young and old, and creating a joyful series of people leaping through the air before landing in the water.  Ursula Murry presents a collection of digital images in which gimmers of primary colours feature strongly.  Geraldine O’Rourke, in her graceful mixed media works, presents abstract paintings of sky, sea and nature.

The artists will also present short poems as part of the exhibition.

Their work is presented by the Arts Festival in conjunction with Saolta Arts. This group brings arts to centre of hospital life to benefit patients, staff and visitors at UHG, other hospitals in Galway and the broader Saolta group and the wider community.