Turbulent Structures, 2025
Created as part of @dubwinterlights ,
this piece celebrates the materiality of stained glass through the medium of projected light.
This site specific piece draws inspiration from the four coats of arms and ornamental sculptures on the Custom House’s facades that represent Ireland’s rivers.
Using macro photographs of handmade stained glass, visual similarities are drawn with the seeds (captured air bubbles within the glass) and turbulent water. The design also reacts to the architectural forms of the building, oscillating between a symmetric and asymmetric composition.
The overarching intent of this piece is to harness scale, texture, colour and form to captivate the public, allowing them to experience the Custom House’s iconic facade in a unique and memorable manner.
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Special thanks to Tom from @eventcoireland for all your help with this and to @dubwinterlights for this unique opportunity.
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To hear more about the artwork and my practice check out my podcast episode with Donal Fallon at @threecastlesburning
Thanks Donal for all your work on this
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#jamesearley #dublinwonterlights #eventcoireland #threecastlesburning #thecustomshouse
(Detail) Signs of Life (2024)
Back-lit laminated float glass panels, fused with enamel pigment.
Dimensions: 7.5m W x 23m L
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Two years in the making, this large-scale permanent artwork commissioned by @iput_real_estate_dublin at their development @wilton_park_dublin This is our third and most ambitious collaboration to date and testament to their consistent support and trust, of which I am very appreciative. Special thanks to @gaffney.niall , Tom Costello, Anita O'Rourke & Darragh Martin.
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Nestled in the walkway linking Wilton Park with Lad Lane, Signs of Life is a glass ceiling that celebrates humankind’s sense of wonder & discovery on an expansive scale. The site specific piece draws its inspiration from the canal and primarily uses an abstracted canal boat as a vehicle to visually represent these ideas.
Looking up towards the heavens we experience the boat from its underside set within a lattice-work of gradated linear currents that cascade over fields of fluid, textured forms. Infused with seeds (air bubbles) from handmade stained glass & digital plumes of spray, these sharded forms give a sense of depth & movement within a pigmented, cosmic plane.
The creation & fabrication of this piece embodies the ethos of progression & discovery. It utilises cutting edge technology to build transparent tones using layered, printed ceramic (glass) pigments fused onto tempered glass. This unique process allowed me to explore & leverage a completely new & untapped digital space.
#jamesearley #iputrealestate #wiltonparkdublin #wiltonpark
'Shedding & Shredding', 2018 – Weaver Park, Cork Street.
This artwork's design reacted to the architecture of the skate park and sought to emphasise its unique forms. It also incorporated an interactive element, using the artwork to illustrate the main paths the skaters took when using the skate park.
#jamesearley #weaverpark
Portrait by @nemanja.knezevic of me working on Squaring The Circle (From Dust to Dust We Return), 2024
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This work was created with @atelje.stanisic.1908 during a month long artist residency at their stained glass studio in Sombor, Serbia. The project was organised through @novaiskra with the aim of promoting traditional crafts in a contemporary context. Housed in The Applied Art Museum’s @mpu.rs permanent collection in Belgrade, this privacy screen occupies a unique area where applied and fine arts intersect, it is both functional and sculptural in its approach.
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Photography: @nemanja.knezevic
#jamesearley #atelierstanisic #novaiskra #madein #stainedglass #stainedglassart
Detail of one of three murals painted at Junction Festival (2018) in Clonmell.
All three pieces were painted over a weekend and were relatively quick and simple ideas to realise. This piece formed the basis for my collaboration with @stoneyroadpress , pictured hanging @ballinglen_arts_foundation in slide 3.
#jamesearley #stoneyroadpress #junctionfestival
Day Break (End of Summer), 2022
Wood, 3mm Acrylic, Spraypaint
700 x 1000mm
An artwork from my solo show at Hangtough Contemporary in 2022.
This artwork now hangs in @thedeadrabbitny If you're visiting NY, be sure to pop in for a drink and check it out ✨
#jamesearley #thedeadrabbitny
Portrait by @ror_conaty with Circadian, 2020 in the background.
The stained glass sculpture was part of a collaboration with @derixglasstudios
To read more about the project, please visit jamese.ie
#jamesearley #derixglasstudios #rorconaty #circadian
Our Great Sweet Mother, 2021
Waterbased acrylic and spraypaint
Dimensions: 10m W x 8m H
I painted this pair of murals for Anseo Mural Festival, Dun Laoghaire, curated and produced by Walls Project.
Flanking either side of the main entrance to St. Michael's Hospital, the murals reference the two light houses at the end of each pier. These architectural beacons (day or night) are iconic landmarks within Dún Laoghaire’s seascape.
Further references to the lighthouses can be found in Dun Laoghaire's Maritime Museum, where the Bailey Optic is on display. This engineering masterpiece of beveled glass forms (akin to a prism) is the original light from the lighthouse in Howth. James Joyce references it in Ulysses, calling it ‘Our Great Sweet Mother’.
My mother trained and subsequently worked as a nurse in St. Michael’s Hospital. As well as caring for patients she was also a practicing midwife.
There are parallels to be drawn between St. Michael’s nurses and the two lighthouses. Both share common goals: to reassure, protect and ensure our journey (through moments of need) is a safe one. The title for the two murals is an ode to both lighthouses, nurses and mothers alike. ♥
#jamesearley #ourgreatsweetmother
