Gillian Byrne

My work combines drawing, printing, painting, and paper craft using techniques and processes akin to weaving, exploring the boundaries between fine art and craft. Focusing on space, storytelling, and material sensitivity, creating layered works that emphasise both visual impact and quiet detail. The materials I use, are a combination of papers, antique, printed and plain. I combine fabrics, spiralling, twisted, knotted and tied together with twine, wire, mesh, elastics and wool. These ideas inform both the imagery and the way three dimensional materials shift and interact within each piece.

My relocation from Wales to Ireland, is reflected in my practice has become increasingly shaped by ideas of migration, torn belonging, and cultural connection. Through storytelling rooted in shared Celtic histories and the female experience, I draw on myths and storytelling such as the Mabinogion—whose themes of transformation and movement resonate across Welsh and Irish contexts—to explore home, identity, and community across generations.

My process is research-led and influenced by contemporary drawing and material practices. Through combining drawing, paint, and textile techniques in a non-traditional way, I quietly but powerfully reference the histories of women’s labour, exploring care, protection, and inherited experience. I aim to create work that invites reflection, allowing space for multiple interpretations and personal connections.