Ratoath portrait artist's subject close to home
A Ratoath artist who took part in the #portraitsforhseheroes initiative, painting a portrait of a frontline worker from a photograph was surprised and delighted to discover recently her subject was living just a short distance from her in Ratoath.
Artist, Mary Duffy, had been delighted to join the #portraitsforhseheroes initiative during the pandemic, which saw artists painting portraits of frontline workers.
In December 2020 Mary was contacted by a colleague of Ann Marie O’Grady, who works in Leopardstown Park Hospital for the elderly in Foxrock, south Dublin.
"Ann Marie had been nominated for a portrait for #portraitsforhseheroes by her colleague Florence Horsman but the artist had never completed the commission," Mary explains.
"Florence asked if I could do Ann Marie’s portrait as she had been disappointed."
Mary said yes, of course but as it was Christmas, she was very busy with commissions so it would be in the new year.
"It took a while, so it was only recently I contacted Ann Marie to show her the finished portrait.
"She was thrilled with it so I arranged to frame and deliver it to her in the hospital where she works. It was only then that we realised we both live in Ratoath.
"So it was a much shorter journey to deliver the portrait last week, just around the corner from where I works in my home studio in Ratoath".
Mary has been working as a Portrait Artist professionally since 1994 when she graduated from NCAD in Dublin. She set up the Portrait Studio on the top floor of St Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre in Dublin where she worked for over 10 years.
Mary set up her online business www.maryduffyportraits.ie in early 2021 where she creates family portraits and pet portraits from photos. She also has a range of drawings of hands which are very popular gifts.
Mary was recently commissioned by Meath County Council to produce portraits of people who have made Meath their home, as part of The National Integration Fund and they featured in an exhibition in Navan Library last April.
“When I was asked to paint these portraits, I was delighted that I would get to meet the sitters to get to know them and how they came to be in Ireland.
“The portraits celebrate the positive contributions of those who have come to make Ireland their home and show the active parts that they play in our communities.
“I went to meet them in Cultúr, the Migrants Centre in Navan where all three of them work. I was amazed at all they had achieved, and I wanted to portray an element of their fascinating stories in their portraits.”