Part of The Clare Collection
The Clare Collection is a captivating series of wall-mounted stone reliefs, each carved by hand from Irish limestone sourced in County Galway. Though the material originates just beyond Clare’s northern boundary, it shares a geological lineage with the Burren itself – fossil-rich, layered, and formed under ancient seas. This stone is not merely a surface to be worked but a partner in the storytelling, its natural veining, tonal variation, and embedded fossils echoing the land it helps to depict.
Each piece in the collection is a tactile tribute to the rugged terrain, cultural memory, and quiet drama of the Burren in County Clare. These reliefs are not idealised landscapes but grounded interpretations – shaped by both the enduring features of the region and the subtle, shifting moods of light, weather, and time.
The Burren Portrait
This vertical relief offers an intimate portrait of the Burren’s limestone pavement – its fractured geometry softened by the quiet persistence of life. Within the network of grikes, wildflowers emerge: gentians, ferns, and orchids rooted in fissures that catch soil, rain, and light. It is a landscape of apparent barrenness that reveals abundance upon closer attention.
Scattered across the surface lie large, time-worn boulders – glacial erratic’s settled here long ago, resting like ancient witnesses to change. Their presence contrasts with the delicate flora beneath, yet both are held in balance by the enduring stone.
In this piece, the limestone is both subject and voice. Its fossil-rich surface and tonal depth reflect the slow, layered story of a place shaped by retreating ice, seasonal cycles, and quiet resilience. This piece is a tribute to the Burren’s ability to hold both stillness and life – a reminder that beauty often lies not in dominance, but in coexistence.
