A Kilkenny man who began woodcarving only nine months ago has had his first exhibition opened by the mayor of the city, Mr Paul Cuddihy.
Mr Jimmy Meany had just overcome a serious illness when he undertook a Fas-sponsored course in wood-carving given by a Thomastown-based artist, Saturio Alonzo. The abstract pieces he now produces from a variety of wood types are causing a stir. Six of them were sold at the opening of his exhibition on Friday.
That story would be remarkable in itself, even if Mr Meany had not lost an arm in a motorcycle accident 20 years ago.
While the nine months between the accident and the decision to amputate were difficult, Mr Meany's advice to anyone undergoing a similar trauma is simple: "Don't lie down under it."
Although unable to resume his building work, Mr Meany developed a positive attitude and went "from strength to strength" once the arm was removed.
A father of five, he developed an interest in painting and his murals can be seen at the playschool of the Father McGrath community centre in the Butts, where he works on a Fas employment scheme.
His flair for wood-carving was apparent as soon as he began the six-week course last year. "Saturio encouraged me to keep going after the course. I got 16 pieces done and people suggested I put on an exhibition," Mr Meany said.
He works with whatever type of wood he can find, from bog oak thousands of years old to discarded pieces of mahogany. "The bog oak can be a very hard timber and difficult to work with but the finish you get from it is brilliant," Mr Meany said.
"I work with the timber. I see different things in different pieces. I get my inspiration from the shape and what I try to do is bring out what's already there, to show that and highlight it, rather than force something from it that's not there. But of course, everybody sees something different. When I hear people talking about the pieces they might have a completely different interpretation."
Kilkenny-based artist Eoin Quigley says Mr Meany's work is unique. "His work is fresh and imaginative and every piece he is exhibiting catches his own character as an artist. From the quality of his work it is hard to believe he started sculpting only last year."
Mr Meany's exhibition, New Awakening, continues at the Comhairle office (formerly National Rehabilitation Board) at the Parade, Kilkenny, until this Friday. It is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.