Welcome to a vibrant exploration of artistic freedom and discovery. Izabela’s acrylic paintings, born from experimentation and an unceasing search for new modes of expression, defy any single style. Instead, they offer a dynamic dialogue between emotion and abstraction, where colour, texture, and form intertwine to create a unique visual language.

The works on display reflect both the energy of spontaneous, expressive compositions and the quiet depth of more symbolic structures. Each piece is unique and tells its own story, yet together they form a cohesive whole about courage, curiosity, and above all ongoing creativity.
Izabela’s practice is rooted in the belief that art is a journey—one of continuous evolution, where every brushstroke opens new possibilities.

In mythology, corvids are creatures that exist between life and death, giving them foresight into the fate of others, harbingers. Their intelligence stirs up a playfulness, so they choose to reveal this knowledge as uncanny messages.
They perch high up, taking notice of us while we take little notice of them. Only in times of uncertainty, when looking for guidance, do we take notice. Hoping that these birds may impart some wisdom upon us, but they already have, we just need to look closer.

Rookeries were once reckoned as places of beauty, a beacon of good fortune, but now we look on with ambivalence. Perhaps in these systems of nests, we may find meaning.

This exhibition is a continuation of the artist’s previously exhibited work, The Invisible Visible,

which centres around her diagnosis of PCOS, a condition that causes the formation of polycystic ovaries.
Her work explores personal narrative connections discovered between rookeries and polycystic ovaries, both of which require specific circumstances to be revealed, and when they are, are found as clusters of dark circles.
The artist’s work is a poetic construction that highlights these connections and explores the moment of revelation.
She discovered that these birds created structures which mirrored the bodily disorder with which she was struggling. Having always held a great fondness for rooks, this moment of revelation deeply resonated with the artist.

With this exhibition we wanted to celebrate the vibrant diversity of the Midlands artistic community by pairing fluid abstraction with tactile craft and figurative colourwork.
You will find bold paint-poured canvases, expressive figurative studies and textural pieces that draw on stained glass, and mixed-media traditions.
The works collectively invite you to slow down, feel the motion, and enjoy the unexpected alchemy that happens when colour, material and hand meet.

This year the theme for Common Ground  (referring to a group of artists coming together to exhibit) will be

"A Terrible Beauty"

This exhibition challenges artists to explore the profound tension between the sublime and the catastrophic, the exquisite and the agonising. "A Terrible Beauty" (a phrase famously coined by W.B. Yeats) asks us to look closely at the moments, objects and ideas where opposing forces converge, creating something breathtaking precisely because of its inherent contrast, danger, brokenness or pain.

Daughters of Gold & Dust brings together oil and collage portraits that reflect resilience,

memory, and the stories that shape us.

Through layers of paint and collage, the works show both strength and fragility, capturing how life’s experiences leave their mark.

The women in these portraits appear quiet yet powerful. Their presence encourages pause and reflection, offering a glimpse into the connections, struggles, and beauty that endure across time.

The exhibition will be open to the public at

 Birr Theatre & Arts Centre from September to November 2025 (Weekdays from 1pm to 5pm).

Admission is free, and all are welcome.

A Profound Journey into the Spherical

This compelling collection of paintings is dedicated entirely to Barone’s enduring fascination with the sphere, a shape that

has captivated her throughout her artistic life.

Barone’s work, through its meticulous articulation of colour, light and space, offers a profound meditation on the delicate, liminal boundaries between our tangible reality and the elusive realm of spiritual transcendence.

The exhibition will be open to the public at Birr Theatre & Arts Centre from August to September 2025 (Weekdays from 1pm to 5pm).

Admission is free, and all are welcome.

A musical exploration by photographer

“Standing by the stage in the Marquee Club, Wardour St, London on Friday 3rd of May 1974 with a Kodak instamatic camera in hand I was confronted by Irish blues guitarist Rory Gallagher. 

Having been blown away by the performance, I headed home with zero expectations that any image I took as I listened through the lens would be worthwhile. On getting the prints back I experienced that “wow” moment. I had captured the magic I felt… 

I was smitten and ever since, music is omnipresent in my work.

The musical style matters little be it Traditional Irish from West Clare or Outlaw country from Texas, it’s the magic of the moment that counts.

These artists can lift us up and transport us to somewhere special “beyond the surface”.

The images in this exhibition are drawn from the constellation of musicians I have photographed.”

The exhibition will be open to the public at Birr Theatre & Arts Centre from May to July 2025. Weekdays from 1pm to 5pm.

Admission is free, and all are welcome.

Explore the delicate balance between nature and humanity in Biophilia, a captivating exhibition of Trish Taylor Thompson’s latest work. Using glass inks, oils, and acrylics, Trish creates luminous, layered works that evoke the beauty and vulnerability of the natural world.

Inspired by the urgency of climate change, her art reflects on the interconnectedness of ecosystems, the resilience of life, and the pressing need for environmental stewardship. Through vibrant colours, organic textures, and fluid compositions, Biophilia invites viewers to engage with nature in a new light - one that is both awe-inspiring and thought-provoking.

The exhibition will be open to the public at Birr Theatre & Arts Centre from March to May 2025. Weekdays from 1pm to 5pm.

Admission is free, and all are welcome.

Step into a world where the delicate beauty of nature meets the whimsical charm of nostalgia.
In her captivating exhibition, From Blooms to Beetles, Dana Sorokina invites us to experience the vibrant interplay of colour, texture, and emotions. Through her expressive oil paintings, Dana breathes life into two deeply personal themes: the intricate elegance of the flowers that accompany her daily, and the iconic allure of vintage VW Beetles that accompanied her past.

With her mastery of the palette knife, Dana captures the fragile vibrancy of floral motifs, evoking both their fleeting grace and enduring resonance. She applies the same technique in her playful portrayals of VW Beetles and offers a fresh perspective on a beloved classic, bringing up her memory and sharing her joy.

Rooted in her Baltic heritage and inspired by her Irish surroundings, this exhibition presents a harmonious dialogue between the organic and mechanical, inviting us to explore the world as seen through Dana’s vivid colours.

The exhibition will be open to the public at  Birr Theatre & Arts Centre from January to March 2025. Weekdays from 1pm to 5pm.

Admission is free, and all are welcome.

This exhibition allows artists the opportunity to interpret the theme in their own unique way, resulting in a creative frenzy that takes the visitor on a journey as diverse as our artists.

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And what's even better is that all the artwork is up for sale (Just in time for some superb Christmas presents!)

The exhibition will be open to the public at Birr Theatre & Arts Centre throughout December 24/January 25.

Admission is free, and all are welcome.

“What do you see? 

I am firstly an observer, and this is always the beginning of my process. The taking up of space, the shift in movement, the transformation through light, these elements invite me to engage with them. 

As I work, I consider the human story and its relationship to my subject matter. For me, there is always a relationship, and it is that, that I seek out.

What do I want to say with my art? Look for the connection, feel it, be part of it. Witness our shared stories, our humanity”. 

“You Gave Your Breath to the Wind” is a deeply personal body of work created in response to the grief of losing her father. Through a series of oil and acrylic paintings, as well as wood-mounted prints, Nathalie El Baba explores the raw emotions tied to loss, memory, and the inevitable return to the elements. 

The work touches on universal themes of life and death, offering viewers an opportunity to reflect on their own experiences with bereavement and the cyclical nature of existence.

This exhibition is a simple collection of visual explorations of imagination and the sub-conscious.

My creative work as an individual artist has always had an element of imaginative exploration.
I use a process of creating drawings and paintings that challenge the need to follow specific rules, patterns, conditioning, or subjects.

The absence of structured rules allows the expression that emerges to be authentic, original, and playful. The initial drawings and paintings provide the basis for designs which are then re-interpreted in mosaic.

The exhibition will be open to the public at Birr Theatre & Arts Centre throughout July/ August 2024.

Admission is free, and all are welcome.