Just Art It, is delighted to partner with Galway City Council Night-Time Economy to present a special Artist Working Talk celebrating Bealtaine Festival, an Age & Opportunity Arts Initiative, and Ireland’s national celebration of arts and creativity as we age.

Join Elena Santos from Just Art It for two evenings of artist talks in Galway’s Westend this May, featuring insights from some of Galway’s most well-known creatives. These free ticketed events offer a glimpse into the creative process and the realities of the artistic profession. This event speaks closely to the aim of the Bealtaine Festival initiative, fostering creativity among older people through intergenerational collaboration, showcasing older artists, and promoting the sharing of skills and experiences that can lead to a rich, creative life.

Artist Working Talk 2
Elena Santos in conversation with artist Brian Bourke
Date: Friday 30th May 2025
Time: 7pm – 8.30pm, doors at 6.30pm.
Free, but booking is required!

Brian Bourke was born in Dublin in 1936 and studied at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin and St. Martin’s School of Art, London. He lives and works in Galway with his wife, the painter Jay Murphy. From early landscapes and life-size nude self-portraits, Bourke’s work has evolved to encompass various series that explore his interest in observational work – rooted in the places and things he encounters in his day-to-day life – and fictional narrative. There is often an element of imaginary biography in his work, which has seen the artist compare himself to literary characters such as Sweeney and Don Quixote in various guises. As well as portraits of people and places, his paintings include expressive still-life reminiscent of memento mori that feature recurring objects such as masks, animal skulls and African carvings, ink and wash drawings on paper, and painted wood carvings. Brian Bourke represented Ireland at the Paris Biennale and the Lugano Exhibition of Graphics in 1965. He has received several high-profile awards, including the O’Malley Award from the Irish-American Cultural Institute in 1993. He is an elected member of Aosdána and an Honorary member of the Royal Hibernian Academy. His work has been exhibited widely in solo and group exhibitions in Ireland and abroad. In 1992, Bourke was Artist in Residence at the Gate Theatre during the Beckett Festival and the work resulting from this residency was shown at the Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin. His work is included in public and private collections including works from the Sweeney series acquired by the National Gallery of Ireland in 2022.