Land's End - An Artist’s Journey to Glenlough 100 Years After Rockwell Kent

Those of you who know me well or who I’ve met in the gallery for a chat recently will know that for the past three years I’ve been quietly working away on an all-consuming project. I’m delighted to finally be able to share with you all my first major solo exhibition in a number of years - Land’s End - An Artist’s Journey to Glenlough 100 Years After Rockwell Kent - will open on the 3rd of October at the Regional Cultural Centre in Letterkenny, Donegal.

In the summer of 1926, Rockwell Kent came to Ireland to paint. Seeking isolation, he stayed in the remote valley of Glenlough, a sparsely populated area on the West coast of Donegal. An influential American artist of the 20th century, Kent is celebrated for his repeated portrayal of secluded landscapes and isolated locations. While much attention has been given to his paintings of Alaska and Greenland, in the broader narrative of Kent’s career his time spent in Ireland has received comparatively less recognition.

A century later, inspired by his lingering legacy in Donegal, I revisit the scenes of his Irish work. They convey a strong sense of place and tell the story of this distinctive landscape. In an exploration of this period in his work, I set out to see what he saw, embarking on a journey to the locations of some of his key works, exploring and painting the Atlantic coastline that never rests.

The finished paintings carry the effort of the journeys, the weather, the time spent. They also carry my own way of working: building, redrawing, exaggerating, and allowing memory to alter what observation began.

I started the project wanting to stand where Kent stood.

What I discovered was that two artists can occupy the same ground and still encounter entirely different landscapes. Each time I return, I understand the landscape a little better and Kent a little more. The place may appear unchanged, but I am not, and neither are the paintings I bring back from it.

Land’s End

An Artist’s Journey to Glenlough, 100 Years After Rockwell Kent

Venue: Regional Cultural Centre
Port Road, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal

3 October–14 November 2026