Ian Kelly is a visual artist living and working in East Clare, specializing in bog-wood sculpture.

He holds a Degree in Fine Art, 1991, graduating from the Limerick School of Art and Design.

Ian has exhibited throughout Ireland, North America, and Cyprus.

The Work:

My work involves bringing the ancient material of bog wood back to life in a new form, having laid in a state of suspension for over 4,000 years buried in the underworld of the Boglands, preserved through time and darkened by age. It is both a challenging and enchanting medium to work with, taking it from its raw form to a highly finished and polished state demands a physical and emotional investment. Using mainly Bog oak I express various emotional states of the human condition as well as exploring surface, form and decay. The wood and myself are two parts to a union that strives to create an entity outside of us both.

The influences on my work are varied, with the main sources derived from aspects of my life - death, love and loss. Working both figuratively (human form and bird imagery), and with abstracted forms I try to remain true to the nature of the wood which has been so influenced by the impact of its exposure to the forces of the bog.

https://www.ancientirishoak.com/