Heartfelt - Lorna Watkins

Lorna Watkins lives and works in Sligo, Ireland. She holds a Degree in Printed Textiles from NCAD and is a recipient of a Ballinglen Fellowship. She was chosen for the 188th, 191st, 192nd, and 193rd Annual Exhibition at the RHA, Dublin, and the 197th RSA Annual Exhibition, Edinburgh, 2023. She is a recipient of the Agility Award, ADC Award and Thomas Damann Travel Bursary. Her works are part of several public and private collections, including the Ulster Hospital and Ballinglen Arts Foundation.

Watkins is interested in the way we recognise the personality of a thing, a feeling or a shape. Growing up in the slower pace of rural Ireland, she would find entertainment in observing everything from the natural world to the interactions of people. In her work, she explores how we can capture the positive energy, humour and joy of all that is around us - she starts by observing and making and in her process, the shapes become anthropomorphic and take on a life of their own.