THE contemporary West Cork-based painter Bill Griffin, best known for his symbolic style, has announced a landmark, limited-run exhibition in the capital later this month.
Works will include a selection from his most recent collection that has not yet been shown, as well as a select number of works that featured in a hometown show in Allihies, which was originally destined for a Russian tour.
The exhibition will be Bill’s 50th solo show and will take place at the historic City Assembly House on South William Street, Dublin opening on Monday March 27th.
Known for his unique style using oil paint and his fingers, Bill produces works that interpret the world and times around him, along with his own fascinating lived experience and adventure.
Born in Cork in 1947 he left school at the age of 14. At 20 he moved to London hoping to pursue a career as an artist. He had very little success in this endeavour and very few sales. He went to work on a North Sea oil rig and then on to what was to become the Kinsale Gas Fields.
In the oilfield, he rose through the ranks quickly and specialised in directional drilling techniques where he gained an international reputation. Widely known as ‘Dog Leg Willie’ he pioneered high angle and ultimately horizontal wells. Aged 50, Bill became a full-time artist and settled in Allihies on the Beara Peninsula. The exhibition will run until April 8th.
