It doesn’t come as a complete surprise that Inis Mór artist Barbara Derrane’s chosen medium is mosaic. Her native island, with its complicated patchwork of stone walls, is itself a mosaic. And for that matter, the traditional shawls worn by Aran women until relatively recent times, had complex and intricate patterns that were also mosaic-like. It is that traditional garment that has influenced Derrane’s latest collection Within the Shawl.
The exhibition of exquisite and delicate mosaics usually capture the women from the side or behind. There are no details of faces. But the individuality of the women is captured by the colourful details of their shawls. A modern rendering, but still one that evokes a timeless Aran. Derrane is the youngest of a family of four girls. The eldest is Maura Derrane, the RTÉ television presenter, who opened the exhibition with a lovely tribute to her sister in Irish and English. Within The Shawl is at Town Hall Theatre, Galway, until October 17th.
