What I do
A daily morning walk brings me into contact with the gradual changes of the seasons.
The emergence of life and growth and its falling away.
The fullness of the hedgerow, the wild areas of my garden, the woods and the field up the hill.
The richness of morning song from blackbird, robin, wren, tit, chaffinch all mingled and punctuated by the harsh cry of the rook and soft purr of the collared dove.
I want to, in the words of Mary Oliver, pay attention, be full of wonder and then tell about it.
To bring focus onto what is common and so often goes unnoticed and is taken for granted.
All of which is more precious now because of the threat to it.
I want to honour the rich biodiversity of the semi rural landscape that I live in,
to value it before it is lost.
How I do it
Images and inspiration gathered while out walking translate into line drawings
Creamy liquid clay pours onto a plaster bat
Plaster pulls the water out of the clay and a soft white sheet forms
A sharp thick needle cuts out the shape
Clay stiffens as it starts to dry
Images drawn with fine needles, engrave into the surface
Well known tools, collected over years for their ability to make marks, add texture
Porcelain clay becomes bone white when completely dry
Brushes paint on ceramic stains and the colour runs along the fine needle lines
Black and ochre and cobalt blue
In the fierce heat of the kiln molecules fuse together
Transform from malleable clay into ceramic whose fragments last for millennia
Biography
Noreen Ramsay is a visual artist who lives and works from her own studio in Cratloe, County Clare.
Working with porcelain as her primary medium she also works with glass, textiles, digital photography and words.
2001 – Graduated Honours Degree in Ceramic Design, Limerick School of Art and Design
1998 and 2003 – Award winner in ceramic category RDS National Craft Competition
2017 – exhibited a successful solo show Fertile Rock in Glor, Ennis.
2021 – Completed a residency at Interface, Inagh Valley, Connemara
Longstanding member of Ceramics Ireland exhibits regularly in both their members and selected exhibitions.
Founding member of Limerick Ceramic Artists, exhibited each year since 2011 in their annual exhibition.
Professional member of Visual Artists Ireland, attends their professional development courses.
Participates in the Creative Circle artist network held in Glor.
2024 Exhibitions
December Clay Lines: celebrating 50 years LSAD Ceramics Limerick City Gallery of Art, Limerick
November The Art of Wall Ceramics Limerick Ceramic Artists, Hunt Museum, Limerick
October Artist’s in Brigit’s Garden Brigit’s Garden, Moycullen, Co Galway
September Fire, Brigid and the Sacred Feminine Arlen press publication launch, Naas Library, Naas
August Ceramics Ireland Members Selected Exhibition Rathfarnham Castle, Dublin
June Ceramics Ireland Members Exhibition Cowshed, Farmleigh, Dublin
February Unravelling an Icon : Brigid 1500 Kildare, Co Kildare
Selected exhibitions from previous years
2022 – On the 35th of May, one has to be prepared for anything Glor, Ennis
2019 – Ceramics Ireland Members Selected Exhibition Rathfarnham Castle, Dublin
2019 – Powerful by Land and Sea O’Malley Clan Gathering, Istabraq Hall, Limerick
2018 – Religious Art in the Home World meeting of Families, RDS, Dublin
2017 – Fertile Rock – Solo exhibition Glor, Ennis
2017 – Ceramics Ireland Members Selected Exhibition Rathfarnham Castle, Dublin
2017 – Sculpture in Context National Botanic gardens, Dublin
2014 – Culture of Clay, Contemporary Ceramics by Graduates of LSAD The Hunt Museum, Limerick
2013 – Ceramics Ireland Selected Exhibition Pearse Museum, Rathfarnham, Dublin
2013 – Sculpture in Context National Botanic Gardens, Dublin
2011 – Then and Now – Limerick Ceramic Artists Hunt Museum, Limerick
2009 – Sculpture in Context National Botanic Gardens, Dublin
2007 – All Fired Up National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Dublin
2007 – Irish Contemporary Ceramics DCCI Gallery, Kilkenny
2006 – Collectors Event – Craft Council of Ireland Hunt Museum, Limerick
2006 – Sculpture in Context National Botanic Gardens, Dublin
2006 – Irish Contemporary Ceramics Limerick City Gallery of Art, Limerick
2003 – RDS National Crafts Competition and Travelling Exhibition
Draiocht, Blanchardstown, Dublin; Irish Linen Centre Lisburn Museum, Lisburn; Uillinn, West Cork Arts Centre, Skibbereen, Co. Cork.
2003 – EV+A 2003 -on the border of each other Limerick City Gallery of Art, Limerick