Inspired Journeys, a new exhibition of work from three  artists – Kathryna Cuschieri, Mavis Gormally and Terri Smith –  will open at Kinvara’s Courthouse Gallery next Friday, August 23, at 7pm. The latest show from the Kinvara Area Visual Arts group, KAVA, it will run until Sunday, September 1.

Maltese-born glass artist Kathryna Cuschieri has been living in County Clare since 1993 when she set up her glass studio, Fire Works Studio in Glendree, in the east of the county. She’s inspired by her inner world of visions, magical images and fairy tales. Kathryna is interested in the deep influence fairytales have “on cultural development and how they affect the context of our lives” and she uses her glass art practice to explore this.

Mavis Gormally’s art, meanwhile,responds to the landscapes, seascapes and animals in her local area of Galway.

“My work reflects reality and I often enjoy rearranging the order of the things I see,” says New York-born Mavis, adding that she is “fascinated with the contrasts and harmonies found in nature”.

Growing up in Long Island, Mavis belonged to a family where stories and traditions were treasured and where there was a profound appreciation for nature. She credits this background with her grá for her Irish heritage, her artistic vision and for infusing her work with “a sense of history, identity and connection to the environment”.

Terri Smith who has been living in Galway since the mid-1990s, has loved drawing since childhood.

In 2012, she began working as a freelance illustrator, specialising in children’s books. As her own journey unfolded, her creations took a turn toward the shadows and, for her, “duality appears to be the essence of human experience: figurative light and shadow, entwined together in a never-ending performance”.

Inspired Journeys will run daily from 11am-5pm until September 1. All are welcome.

Pictured: The Braggart by Terri Smith, one of the pieces that will be shown in Kinvara.