For the uninitiated; the impact of the Vallely family on modern Irish art and traditional music is a profound one. Whether it be through guiding aspiring musicians from the grassroots to producing some of the finest art and music available today, the contribution has been immense and continues unabated. 

One of them, painter Lorcan Vallely, works mainly with charcoal and oil, creating pieces which are striking not just in their composition but also in the way they often portray the very essence of humanity and community. This year he has  been chosen to exhibit his work at the 186th Royal Hibernian Academy Exhibition which is now up and running until June.

INTERVIEW: MICHAEL QUINN

According to your bio, you’ve lived in London, Bath, Belfast, Oxford and Glasgow but you are now settled back into your hometown of Armagh. Is home the easiest place to work, or do the charms of ‘other places’ still have their appeal?

And a few years in the Cooley Mountains. London and Bath were a bit different because I was still at Art College, but I enjoyed working in all of these places. The studio in the Cooleys was, of course, in the most scenic location. Home is great, but mostly for all of the other aspects of life – friends, family, history etc. I could probably work anywhere, if the studio set-up was right. Armagh is a beautiful place though.

Even after just a glance at some of your work, it’s quite clear that there are various social/historical themes that you take inspiration from. Can you take us through a few that have inspired you over the years, and are you seeing any parallels in today’s society?

I prefer to let the work do the talking where possible, but I would hope that whether or not a painting is specifically referencing the past or a past event, it should always also have some relevance for today.

There are so many injustices being carried out in parts of the world at the minute, that I feel that I would have to have totally mastered my craft before tackling some of those themes again in my art. You first have to decide ‘what to paint’ and then you have to work out ‘how to paint it’ – I’m learning new things every day about the ‘how to paint (or draw) it’ bit.

You’ve said that you prefer to use charcoal and oil, and the result is obviously quite stunning. Is it a case of the charcoal suiting your style of work, or the charcoal suiting the artist? Do you still experiment with other mediums?

I started using charcoal while I was at Art College in Bath. At the time, I was interested in the work of a guy called William Kentridge who used charcoal to make animations about South African history. I never tried his charcoal animation technique, but I have been using that medium ever since.

It is possible that the style of the work has been shaped in some ways by how my methods of using charcoal have developed over the years. My techniques today are very different to ten years ago, despite the media being almost the same. And of course, the fact that the work is essentially realist is coming from me.

Painting is often viewed as a very solitary craft, with perhaps romantic notions of artists going to dark places before being able to truly express themselves… or in some cases failing, and suffering the consequences. Do you agree with this perception, and have there been particular periods in your life when expression was easier or conversely much more difficult? Do you have any methods to keep yourself focussed?

I think the problems with trying to express yourself through art vary from painting to painting, as opposed to just arising at different times in life (for me anyway). It’s always a struggle, but what you are trying to achieve, or express, in one painting might come easier than in another. Deadlines keep me focussed.

There’s a diagram somewhere that has art as the intersection of absolute narcissism and crippling self-doubt and I think there’s an element of truth in that. The problem with trying to make a living from it, is you can end up judging the work on whether it sells or not and this can be a mistake. Some accomplished paintings won’t sell and some flawed ones will, you just have to have complete belief in yourself, ignore the doubts (and doubters) and keep on going.

And the 5^th Question…

If you were to choose 3 songs (from any time in your life) that you would reach out for to listen to if you weren’t feeling on top form, which tunes would you go for?

The first choice is Nina Simone’s version of ‘Little Girl Blue’. The almost unbearable sadness is just about balanced out by the beauty in this. (Just pips Chet Baker’s version because of the simplicity of the arrangement, in my humble opinion anyway).

Second choice is Otis by The Durutti Column. A perfect antidote to a Tuesday afternoon existential crisis. In fact, you could just choose three of Vini Reilly’s classics – Sketch for Summer would definitely fit the bill. All his back catalogue provides consolation for the soul.

This was going to be the first dance at our wedding, but the band couldn’t cope with it (we went for Ramones instead…). So yes, it brings back good memories. And my wife has no time for The Durutti Column so this choice might make up for that one!

 The RHA Annual Exhibition runs until the 11th of June.

Lorcan will be exhibiting paintings alongside the work of his father JB Vallely in Gormleys, Galway from the 4th June.

A solo exhibition of Lorcan’s work will open in Gormleys Dublin on the 1st September.

PTHDIH