Art in Ireland. July 2026

I realised that when I went to Japan, I forgot to take any art materials. I like to start off every day doing something creative how silly or simplistic it is. I like to make 3 or 5 or 7 similar but slightly different pieces.

Washi tape with cats

I am not sure where I bought the washi tape. But I didn’t have any scissors so had to tear it and wrap it round to the back. It is pretty transparent so you can see the colours behind. 21 July 26.

Lines around a slate piece from the beach

I found some lovely pieces of flat slate on the beach. I drew around them and then around them with more lines using different colours or the same pen with water smudging. 22 July 26.

1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 cats with different borders

I bought the googly eyes (thanks Galina) and adhesive sticky lilac/purple lace in a craft shop in Skibbereen. Now I had scissors I had a whale of a time! 24 July 26.

Tea bags, googly eyes, cat washi tape and paints

If you really want you can open the bag and have a cup of tea. Just make sure you replace the packet. That is why they are all sewn in with wool using a tapestry needle. 25 July 26. Then I sewed them all together like a book.

Art exhibition Whittington

One of my colleagues was organising an art exhibition. So I thought. Why not enter some of these pieces and some new ones.

Being disgruntled about working in a woke organisation

Hello, My name is Carly, What can I do for you today?

These were made using my stamps with cat washi tape on top to blur and hide them.

Then using a black biro and obfuscating this text with purple paint I added.

Why do I always have to conform to my woke organisations edicts?

Then adding to making a book theme I used some gold thread I found on the street to make them into a book that is only partially openable.

Here is the prep work!

Octopussy on his journey

Maria and Christian gave me a beautiful octopus as a leaving present. It came with a card (see at the end). Octopus likes to go on journeys. A bit like all the Barbies – they (M and C) were both great fans and went back to Germany with one of my pieces – Trafficked Barbies. These photos are in no particular order but are taken from mid-July 2026 onwards.

With a toast rack
In a light
On a slate stone
on a stone
under a toy
on a cruet set
on a stone on the beach
on a wet plant
with my shoes on the sand
in a sandy shelter
by crows markings
by a dead jellyfish
with bladder wrack seaweed
on a stone wall
with a white shell
with mini mussels
with gutweed
with more mussels
on a wooden fort
on my hand
on my left shoe
on my right shoe – hmmmmmmmmm bunion
on my knee
on my towelling robe
on a light
on a plant
on a purple flower
on a fish dish
on a ceramic flower
with a chairful of succulents
on a paper flower
on a local paper – the Southern Star
on a large yellow flower
on a crochet floor cushion
far away on a rock
nearby on another rock
at Drombeg stone circle – spiritual wreath
at Drombeg stone circle – small beige dinosaur
at Drombeg stone circle – large green dinosaur
at Drombeg stone circle – small beige dinosaur
on a plane
with Barbeh and Barboh – a biracial Barbie couple
with me!
on the entrance to a mausoleum
at the Drombeg church
an amazing stone with small molluscs on them
the same stone
on an emerging plant
obvs on a banana
mackerel on soda bread
on a thistle
Screenshot

And then I had to add more!

on a second hand time machine
on a first robot book
just at the start of a chess game
on the O of the record section
a cafe called Baby Hannah!
looking at Skibbereen high street
with Tania’s pencils
with washi cats and Indian stamp
with lots of washi cats and rainbow colours behind
on top of washi cats in front of blue and black lines and one squiggle

and more

on a large red/pink/blue column
on a porcelain vase
on a stick
with some new and as yet unassigned Barbies
on a pocket watch
in a hamsa
on a passion flower

IVF Barbie is worried if the correct embryos were transferred

I asked Natalie Smith to bring out a load of babies. One bag of mixed colurful ones and one of pastel/beige/brown babies. I used them in varoius projects – particularly on shoes and candles. But I had this pregnant Barbie who did star in an album as Kwashiorkor Barbie (she really did look malnourished with stick thin legs) but then she just went back to being pregnant. There are many mix ups with the transfer of correct embryo and usually most couples are pleased that the baby is the same colour of them. This was the inspiration behind IVF Barbie and her worries and concerns. Twins are now much rarer in IVF but still common.

My neighbour Pini with his candle and rainbow selection of babies
Shoes from Tova
Reimagined

The IVF Barbie

Not everyone is happy with this but for sure it is trying to be a playful take on a genuine error and concern of couples undergoing IVF/ICSI. I suspect with the new DNA testing kits there will be more errors detected

Biracial couple Barbeh and Barbah travel up north and have adventures in Jaffa.

I cannot remember now who bought me the white Barbie but Simon bought me the black one in Cyprus! I decided to make them a lesbian couple and they could go on some adventures. I was invited by a new friend Sigal Kersh to go on a trip up north.We visited the control and warehouse for Brothers and Sisters of Israel who manage the volunteer programmes so that the right people get the right stuff (soldiers/Druze villagers etc) and they have a whole cadre of volunteers. This was in Alonai Abba. Then we went up to the Lebanon border, saw some tunnels built by Hezbollah which were deactivated and collapsed and had a kurdish lunch in a small village. Finally, there was a photoshoot in Container House 3 in the Jaffa Port and many of the participants posed with Barbeh and Barbah. On the way home they posed in some acrylic paint on the pavement. And finally with my three pets!

A weekend away to Mevo Beitar

Maria and Christian are leaving Israel soon to return to Germany. Stephanie was staying for a few weeks in Mevo Beitar so we decided to get an AirBnB and join her. What a wonderful weekend. Full of fun, dogs, walks and eating with laughter.

Flora 1

Flora 2

Flora 3

Art around the place!

Carly, Stephanie, Maria and Christian.

Rui, Taiyo and Talulah

Colourful photographs in Jaffa from the first six months in 2026

I am not sure how many of these came about. But some I do!

From Talulah’s lead up close
I think this was of my phone case
By the green mosque
Green to blue
my chartreuse jumper
grass up close
Red is the theme for today
And black today
Purple today and all off centre
Red and yellow netting on the beach in Park Midron
yellow and red
The green helmet
Blue containers in various states of disrepair
The varied green of plants
Glorious pinks and reds
This yellow plant almost looks plastic
White barnacles on the black rudder of a boat
The beautiful spirals of Russian Vine in Winter
More yellow flowers up close
even more yellow flowers
lilac flowers
white jasmine
grey/brown bark
Drain covers by Park Midron
Black cat, Park Midron
yellow flowers
cacti
money plants
dandelion heads
lines made from metal, rubber, wood and bricks
a wall in namal Yafo road
United Hapoel fans graffiti a bench
Images in the concrete by the Park Midron beach
A mossy old wall
Close up of the flowers at Cafe Blue
twigs and trees
pinks and purples
yellows
whites and pale pinks
A rusty church door in Jaffa, May 2026
Random black cat in Jaffa
Pretty white flowers
White flowers in Jaffa in June
Pinky orange flowers in Jaffa in June
Jasmine in June in Jaffa
Pink climbers fading from fuchsia to rose

That’s all folks!