We recently welcomed alumnus Francis Kelleher (Class of 2007) back to Trinity for our Art Scholars’ Workshop. Francis is a fine artist, specialising in portraiture and figure work, in charcoal, pastel and oil paint.
The workshop was organised by Teacher of Art Mr Coma, who said, “It was a pleasure to welcome back Francis, made all the more special as he was part of my own year group, and was a good friend at school. We were inspired by hearing about his creative journey, from his degree in animation (AUB) to his five years training and teaching at Charles H. Cecil Studios in Florence, where he drew inspiration from great artists such as Titian, Rubens, Anthony van Dyck and Sargent.
“Francis demonstrated an impressive breadth of knowledge and shared invaluable advice on his drawing method. He followed with a portrait demonstration, with Jacob in First Year kindly modelling.
“Students were encouraged to refine their observational skills, carefully considering proportion, form and value. Our Scholars then put their learning into practice with charcoal, and I stepped in to pose! Under Francis’s patient guidance, expertise and encouragement, students produced excellent work.
“A huge thank you to Francis, we look forward to welcoming him back again soon!”
Third Year Art scholar Jamie said, “I thought that the workshop was amazing – it was really interesting and helpful to understand Francis Kelleher’s process to create his artwork. He discussed how he draws and paints from real life and gave really insightful explanations as to why he does this – showing us that to capture a person in a painting you need to draw them as a whole rather than focusing on a part of their face or body.
“I definitely feel like the tips and things he explained were true and applicable to myself, both things I already do but also things I hadn’t thought about – for example, the way we sometimes hinder ourselves by not working with distance and life-size portraits. Coming out of it, I feel that I have absolutely taken away from the experience with new views on portraiture, particularly on how to develop skill.
“Trying to capture Mr Coma was an interesting experience because he is someone who we see all the time, be that in class or just around school and so we know his face already very well! However, despite sounding contradictory, I felt as if this made it harder to draw him as you notice all the details of either his face, his personality, or his demeanour that you haven’t quite got. I actually think this is good though as it allows you to home in on what needs changing or adjusting because we know who we’re drawing. There was, of course, also a desire to ensure that Mr Coma was done justice in the picture, but Mr Kelleher did really help in aiding us in what needed doing.
“Overall, I am really thankful to Mr Coma for organising this workshop, and I am looking forward to applying what I have learnt in a new piece!”
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Francis has recently begun running a life drawing group and is available for private teaching and group projects, as well as commissions. For more information go to: www.francisckelleher.co.uk or check out his instagram: @francis.c.kelleher.art
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