Tony O'Connor artwork for this year's IHWT charity Christmas Cards

'Winter's Tail' by equestrian artist Tony O'Connor is the image specially commissioned for this year's Christmas cards in aid of Irish horse charity Irish Horse Welfare Trust (IHWT).

“Personally as an artist, it is fantastic to see my paintings actually ‘make a difference’ to a charity like IHWT.  A Winters Tail, was the ideal choice for a Christmas card to help raise some much needed funds to help  horses in need this winter,” says O'Connor.

"The inspiration for this painting came from Irish winter mornings, when the frost has left its mark on each blade of grass amidst the serenity of the countryside. The warmth of the horse underneath, the only sounds being the hoof beats on crisp earth, the odd nicker or snort from the horse and the caw of crows from the woods.”

Cards can be ordered online at http://www.ihwt.ie/ and they cost €10.00 for 2 packs excluding postage.

The Irish Horse Welfare Trust rescuing, re-habilitating and finding new homes for neglected horses in Ireland. The charity also runs educational programmes across Ireland, related to equine health and welfare; as well as running re-training programmes for retired race horses..

One Thousand: Paintings, Drawings and Sculptures by Tom Campbell in Cork

Cork based artist Tom Campbell is opening his exhibition One Thousand (1000) at the Tactic Gallery space (former Fás building on Sullivans Quay) in Cork, on Friday 21st October.

The pieces drawn from the artist’s personal collection of paintings, sculptures and sketchbooks and runs until 29^th October. The themes of Campbell’s colourful work are often faces of clowns, animals and fantasy creatures, with much of the work inspired by the circus.

The artist is originally from Dumfries in Scotland and has been based in Cork since 2001, where he says he ‘has found his inspiration and created some of his most exciting work’. Over recent years he has exhibited in Ireland and abroad, including Italy, France , Catalonia and UK.  In his most recent undertaking ‘The dog project’, he directed a group of over 100 volunteers to create 120 papier-maché dogs which were exhibited at the Camden Palace and Kinsale Art Festival.

For further information: www.tomcampbellart.com  087 6102142 or by email 

When:  21 - 29 October 2011

Opening times: 11am-6pm

Where: Sample studios, Tactic gallery, Former FAS building, Sullivans Quay, Cork

Original Chaos - Science-inspired art exhibition by Joey Hehir

Science-inspired art exhibition Original Chaos, by Kilkenny artist Joey Hehir comes to an end this Saturday 15th October.

Hehir's work is a visualization of shapes found in nature, using mathematical procedures to mirror the beauty of nature.

"The universe we live in exists in a balance of complicated relationships governed by equations. It is Mathematics that harbours the secrets to these equations. Chaos describes how everything is fundamentally in disorder," he explains. "Equations iterated over time tend to become unpredictable. An example of this is found in weather prediction where complex equation systems are used to foresee weather patterns. These predictions are seldom completely accurate."

According to Hehir, equations can be graphed in order to present outcomes and, with repeated iterations, complex patterns are formed.

"Some patterns seem to reoccur regularly," he says. "Spirals describe vast galaxies and the pattern of a snail's shell. Pentograms are seen in the form of star fish and in relation to planetary orbits. These patterns have also found their way into human art and conscienceness. Such as the ancient spirals on the entrance rock at Newgrange. The Pentogram has become, for some, a religious symbol and, for Morocco, a symbol of nationhood."

Where: Old Callan Co-Op, Green St, Callan, Co. Kilkenny
When: 1-15th October 2011 
Opening Times: Mon-Sat 12-17pm