Leeson St Bridge on a Bright September Morning by Kate Beagan www.katebeaganartist.com
Kate won the 2025 Plein Air Competition at the Baggotonia Festival with Leeson St Bridge on a Bright September Morning. Kate is a Monaghan-born artist deeply connected to the Patrick Kavanagh Centre. She exhibits with leading Irish galleries and regularly at the prestigious RHA, RUA, Society of Women Artists and the Royal Institute of Oil Painters both in the Mall Gallery, London.
Welcome to the Visual Artists’ Calendar of Baggotonia. This calendar is a celebration of creativity, community and contemporary expression. Baggotonia, with its rich history of poets, writers and dreamers, continues to be a vibrant home for living artists whose works shape and reflect the spirit of our time.
This calendar is not just a record of days and months—it is a window into the imaginations of the artists who live and work among us. Each page highlights a different artist and their contemporary practice, offering a glimpse of the diverse voices and visions that together weave the cultural fabric of our neighbourhood.
By celebrating living artists, we honour not only their individual creativity but also the role they play in sustaining Baggotonia’s tradition as a place of innovation, dialogue and artistic exchange. We invite you to mark your days against their work, to pause with their images and to let their art accompany you throughout the year.
Dreaming Guard No. 3 by Mary de Blacam Instagram: @marydeblacam
Jan2026
Mary, a Mackintosh School of Art graduate, lives in Dublin 2. Her paintings and jewellery draw on global experiences, inspired by natural and urban abstract forms. Bold colour defines her vibrant practice, creating dialogue between her artwork and jewellery.
Hidden in Plain Sight XIX by Marie-Louise Martin www.marie-louisemartin.com
Marie-Louise graduated from NCAD in 1983, and soon afterwards joined the Black Church Print Studio, where she developed many of her distinctive techniques. She continues to collaborate as a member of the Graphic Studio, while also working independently from her home studio in Ballsbridge. She completed the Academy hat-trick in 2025 with inclusion in the RHA, RA and RUA annual shows. Feb2026
Sandymount’s Incinerator — An Afternoon Glow by Helena Johnston Instagram: @ johnston_helena
Mar2026
Helena, originally from Gdańsk and residing in Dublin since 1975, has developed her art through adult-education painting and life-drawing at the RHA. Her landscape and still-life work—often painted plein air—has been acquired by the Office of Public Works and accepted into the RHA annual exhibition.
Five doors on Warrington Place by Kate Pushkareva www.pushkareva.art
2026
Kate is a Russian born artist based in Dublin 4, celebrated for her evocative plein air works — from Donegal hills to Dublin’s Georgian terraces. She teaches arts at Artmines, where her young students are nationally recognised (Texaco Art Competition 2024/2025, AIB Portrait Prize 2025). Kate herself has earned national and international acclaim, including a Bronze Prize at Art in the Open, Wexford 2024.
Ella’s Laburnum by David Herlihy davidherlihyartist.com
David is a Dublin-based visual artist and actor who paints in acrylics and oils, drawing inspiration from city life and personal experience. He has exhibited his work at Gallery X and the Ranelagh Arts Festival. His piece Ella’s Laburnum depicts a tree that his late mother planted in her garden, which she considered her little piece of paradise.
Swanning Around Baggotonia by Maura Shine Instagram: @shinemaura1
Maura is an artist, native of Dublin’s Haddington Road. She draws inspiration from the Grand Canal’s history and the spirit of Baggotonia. Influenced by Patrick Kavanagh, Behan and Luke Kelly, her work reflects poetic memory, swans’ serenity and the creative atmosphere that shaped her childhood imagination and artistic vision.
Getting Closer by Laura Trueman lauratrueman.ie
Laura is a Dublin-based contemporary painter and draughtsperson working in paint and dry media. Trained in animation, fine art, and classical drawing, she rediscovered her passion through en plein air painting in 2020. Her work, often landscapes and portraits, captures light, form and character. She also facilitates life drawing and portrait practice sessions weekly.
The Grand Canal in Glorious Autumn Sunlight by Kenneth Donfield tinyurl.com/KennethDonfield
Nov2026
Kenneth, a portrait, landscape and still life painter in the contemporary academic tradition, lectures in Painting at CEAD, NCAD. His Grand Canal in Autumn reflects spirit and history, paying homage to Patrick Kavanagh and Jack B. Yeats, both deeply inspired by the canal’s surroundings.
Sunset Baggotonia by Helen Mathews www.helenmathewsart.ie
Dec2026
Helen Mathews is a Dublin-based trained artist. She is renowned for her distinctive Poolbeg and Dublin Bay depictions. Her paintings and greeting cards are widely recognised, her works having sold worldwide.
