The Jury Room will host an exhibition of paintings to celebrate the life and work of Sharon Ray (1939-2004).
Whether in nature or within the built environment, life is lived within the context of Time and its faithful consort Space. This exhibition portrays this familiar yet invisible partnership by populating it with vibrant signs of life flowers, trees, water, city lights and manmade structures.
The Stillness of Time invites us to slacken our pace in order to relish the tranquillity of the imagery. Attuned to the quiet tempo set by the artist, we enter a world of places ranging from the natural world to everyday urban settings. We see myriad shapes and forms imbued with life, places that are gentle, colourful and appear full of vitality.
This living aspect of the works derives from the dynamic weaving of the visible and invisible elements that constitute the totality of the everyday world of time and place. The artist playfully reveals this mystery — making us aware of the vibrant balance of visible and invisible elements, of inner and outer qualities, that constitute the living world, ourselves included.
The positive message we receive is that by carefully managing our relationship with time and place, we can experience the world in a new way and change our lives as we engage with the mysteries nestled within the stillness of time.
Sharon Ray (1939—2004) was born in the USA, where she studied dance, drama, literature and painting. In 1976, she moved to the Spanish island of Mallorca and began painting full time. She moved to Ireland in 1983 with her partner, eco-architect Peter Cowman. Her work is held both in private as well as corporate collections.