A selkie in Celtic mythology is a being capable of shapeshifting from seal to human by shedding their seal skin.
Song of the Selkie by self-taught Clare-based sculptor Tommy Brennan captures the Selkie in its human form.
It is a fitting piece of art by the sculptor who says he loves the challenge of coaxing a sensuous form from a hard, unyielding material.
“In a way it is like giving a new life, new form, new shape to something that is largely viewed as tough, rigid or inflexible,” says Tommy who is originally from Louth but now living in the Burren.
He creates mostly small scale figurative pieces in stone, usually limestone and marble. He admits to a lifelong fascination with stone, its formation and its antiquity and for many years he worked as a stonemason, practising the traditional craft of stone building.
“Having dressed and shaped stone for most of my life, the move to stone carving was a natural progression,” he says.
It has stood him in good stead. He uses off-cuts or fragments of broken or discarded stone, which he acquires from monumental sculptors, salvage yards or building sites. Thus, these pieces of stone instead of being superfluous or destined for landfill receive a new lease of life. The nature of this recycling process is an important aspect of his work. In what might be perceived as rubble he sees potential and value. The sometimes random nature of obtaining stone determines the size and form of the finished piece.
“The figure fits the available stone, the stone often suggests the figure,” he says.
The initial stage in his sculptural practice is to create a clay model from photographs or drawings, which acts as a 3D guide for the finished piece. His style is small in scale, figurative and representational, and focussed mainly on the female form. He values the time honoured techniques of sculpting and as much as possible uses traditional hand tools in his work.
Some of Tommy Brennan’s work will be on view at the upcoming Gort Arts Brigid’s windows exhibition running from 1-7 February as part of the Gort Arts Brigid’s bank holiday programme of events on Saturday 3 February.
You can also view his work at Tommy Brennan Sculpture (tommy-brennan-sculpture.ie)
