THE FIRST MORNING

“Most crawling reptilians, the most earthbound of all creatures, have remained unchanged for millions of years. Some, however, grew feathers and wings and turned into birds, thus defying the force of gravity that had held them for so long. They didn’t become better at crawling or walking but transcended crawling and walking entirely. Since time immemorial, birds have held special significance for the human spirit. Like all life forms they are of course , temporary manifestation of the underlying one Life, one Consciousness . Their special significance and the reason why humans feel such fascination for and affinity with them can be attributed to their ethereal quality.”

Eckhart Tolle - A New Earth

Ireland is a very ancient place with a deep history of war and emigration. In an ever changing and ever diluting modern world, I sincerely believe that our collected stories of folklore and mythology are an intrinsic link into not only our past but also our sense of identity and home. I see our native feathered friends, the Irish birds, as a powerful link to all that doesn’t exactly make sense in fact and form. To me they represent the wondrous ancientness and magic of the universe that we cannot quite grasp or quantify - The Otherworld

When nothing else made sense in a world that humans had locked, I turned to nature for peace of mind. And by observing the birds through the window of a little stone cottage I had rented in, Milltown Co Cavan, I found a gateway to what I believe to be The Otherworld or perhaps it is The Dreamworld. It gave a me great sense of enlightenment, like waking up to, as Co.Kerry philosopher John Moriarty put it, ‘The First Morning Of The World”.

Lately I am evolving away from human narratives and stories of the land and my attention is being pulled towards nature more intangible beauty and qualities, particularly Irish Birds. I am fascinated by the countless colour stories they provide to us and in this new body of work, I tried to focus more on colour abstraction and movement and less on structure and

form.These explorations have involved sometimes taking specific aspects of the birds and stripping them of their physical form to reveal the beautiful colours, ethereal qualities and energies within. In developing these works I’ve stuck with my trusted mediums of watercolour, pen and ink but also played with some paint materials that I’m not too familiar with, such as oils and acrylics. I use them as backgrounds in some of my pieces. It feels great to get out of my comfort zone and begin again.

I also introduce a deeper layer to my textile practice by using local hand dyed yarns made bespoke for this collection by Olann Mill and Dye House.

Jackie O’Neill - December 2022

All of the artworks from this collection are available to purchase as limited edition textile and paper prints over on my webshop. Click here to view the hand embroidered textile versions, to read the folklore story behind each piece & to purchase.