So @cassart1984 recently invited me to do a blog interview with them. What a compliment as I’ve been trotting in and out of their stores and buying their products since I moved to London almost 8 years ago. You can read the interview here: https://www.cassart.co.uk/blog/inside-the-artists-studio-aisling-drennan.htm
Sometimes it is only when you sit back and have a chat with yourself about how you got to where you are, you realise certain things. During the interview I remembered something I had forgotten. I used to be a professional dancer with Riverdance and initially when I began to study fine art I rejected dance as part of my work; I wasn’t interested in making anything figurative as I felt it was too cliché plus I clearly remember a tutor of mine dramatically stating “Aisling, you are either dancer or artist” this gives me a chuckle now, what an odd thing to say because most of the arts naturally cross pollinate from one form to another. This is how we learn and progress, right? By being exposed to as many areas in your discipline (or outside it) makes your work and your development more informed. Certainly now, as a more mature artist I can see and gladly accept that there’s a clear fluidity in my work that I credit to my background as a dancer… movement, gesture, musicality… its all there, its part of my work because its part of my history and as an artist your work is naturally influenced by your own experiences. For me life experience is important to your practice and it’s outcomes- would you agree?
Image: On tour with Riverdance in Mexico, 2006