Doreen Drennan is a gifted seascape and landscape artist and an award-winning gardener based on the edge of the unspoilt Burren and within sight of the mighty Cliffs of Moher. Doreen’s passion for art and gardening is reflected in her home just outside the town of Lisdoonvarna where she has created an artist’s studio and gallery space for her artwork and surrounded this with a skilfully planted inspirational coastal garden with a measure of wildness.
Doreen has spent her life on the Wild Atlantic Way which is renowned for imbuing creativity in its people. She was born on Achill Island where she inherited her love of gardening from her parents who were renowned gardeners on the island. Later she settled in Lisdoonvarna in County Clare, her husband Diarmuid’s hometown. She is inspired by the seascapes of Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way, the unspoilt Burren landscape around her and colourful perennial and herbaceous species that she grows in her garden in an exposed coastal setting. She is also a poet with a visual and illustrative turn of phrase.
As an art lover a visit to her studio will allow you to immerse yourself in the vibrant work of a talented artist whose ability lies in recreating the authentic culture and character of her locality. Who will personally show you her artwork and explain the concept and story behind the paintings. Original paintings and a selection of fine art prints are available to purchase.
Nature lovers can take a guided tour of the garden which Doreen has lovingly created around her home. Gardening on the rugged Wild Atlantic Way poses many challenges which Doreen has met with relish and creativity. There are surprises around every corner in a garden that includes a walled garden with raised stone beds, rolling planted exposed lawns with shelter belts, a wild river walk with an authentic stone bridge dating back to 1850 and many delightful nooks to explore.
Doreen’s preferred medium is oil paint on canvas. She uses brush and knife techniques to execute the challenging form, colour, texture and depth of her surroundings. Her subjects range from the wildness of the Atlantic to the rugged marks left on the landscape by the sea. She is noted for her ability to capture the changing atmospheric sky lines above the Atlantic and is continually inspired by the dramatic fleeting light of the West.
Doreen paints ‘en plein air’ working fast and loose to catch the ever-changing light. When the wild weather of the West does not permit an easel to stand she continues working in her studio above her gallery. There she can rely on her imagination with years of carefully filed away images of the Atlantic in her memory. Materially she loves to immerse her senses in the texture, the pliable feel and even the specific scent of oil paint.
