Art at Burtown

Wendy Walsh

Wendy Walsh was one of Ireland’s foremost botanical artists. She illustrated over a dozen botanical books and designed postage stamps for the postal service of Ireland and for Kiribati (formerly the Gilbert Islands). In addition she has worked with the late Sybil Connolly on fabric designs for Brunswick and Fils and ceramics for Tiffanys, including designs based on the flower collages off Mary Delany. She is known internationally for her books produced in conjunction with the distinguished botanist Dr Charles Nelson, former taxonomist at the National Botanic Gardens, Dublin. “An Irish Florilegium” won a bronze medal for the most beautiful book in the world” at the Leipzig Book Fair.

Our collection of archival prints are from the 1983 book An Irish Florilegium, Wild and Garden Plants of Ireland by E. Charles Nelson and Wendy F. Walsh. ‘An Irish Florilegium’ won a bronze medal for the ‘most beautiful book in the world’ at the Leipzig Book Fair.

Lesley Fennell

Lesley Fennell is the daughter of botanical artist Wendy Walsh. Lesley studied at the National College of Art, Dublin and the Byam Shaw School of Fine Art, London. She lives and has her studio near Athy, Co. Kildare, her subject matter is mainly taken from her life and surroundings. Her garden and art are both intertwined and create each other. Her work is mainly in oils and includes portraits, figurative and garden commissions. She exhibited widely in Ireland, England and the USA.

Latest exhibitions include: RHA - 2025, Historic House Walled Gardens - Irish Georgian Society - 2023 Through the Artist’s Eye - ongoing biannual exhibition in historic gardens. Public and Private collections include: Cadburys, KPMG, Kildare Street and University Club, Dublin, Limerick University,Trinity Law School, Dept of Foreign Affairs, OPW, National Botanic Gardens, National Self Portrait Collection Prizes: Taylor Art, Royal Dublin Society, Henry Higgins Scholarship, Royal Dublin Society, President’s Award, Watercolour Society of Ireland

Jane Willoughby

Jane Willoughby is a decorative artists specialising in large-hand painted murals. With an honours degree in Art History and a background in interior design, Jane worked for many years as a decorative painter, completing large-scale painted interior schemes on a commissioned basis before settling down to specialise in canvas panels that she paints from her studio in Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin. Panels measure on average 120cm x 100cm and are inspired by historical interior painted decoration, from Chinese hand painted wallpaper to antique Japanese prints of French and Dutch inspired floral motifs. With a soft muted colour palette these timeless original arworks feature flowing stylised botanical themes including leaves, flowers and birds in harmonious compostions that are distinctively her own.

Maria Levigne

Born in Waterford and now living and working in Co. Wexford, Maria Levinge is primarily an autodidact. Tutored by Niccolo d’Ardia Caracciolo RHA, then attending Gorey School of Art 2000/2002, she has since worked as a professional artist. Her principal medium is oil on gessoed panels or paper. She also works in traditional egg tempera and gouache. Graphite drawings are an important part of her practise and, most recently, working in Oak gall ink. Landscape, Gardens and Still Life are the focus of her work. Seeking a timeless meditative quality, light, weather and season are a constant source of interest. Frequently painting Plein Air she was the 2012 Overall Winner of AITO International Plein Air Competition. In 2020 Maria is part of the Na Cailleacha Art Collective, who will be exhibiting in 2021, and featuring in a full length documentary for Bealtaine 2021.She was awarded a Ballinglen Arts Foundation Fellowship in 2019 and has returned as a Fellow in 2020. Since 2005 Maria has had six solo exhibitions in Dublin, Wexford and Wicklow. Her work has been regularly selected for the Royal Hibernian Academy Annual Exhibition where, in 2007/2008, she was an invited Artist.

Seamus O’Byrne

Seamus is a contemporary Irish painter based in West Wicklow. His work is inspired by the natural world, especially the uplands of Wicklow and coastal areas of Sligo. He has exhibited widely in Ireland including the RHA, RUA, Celtic Vision, Figurative Image, Iontas, Oireachtas, Independent Artists and overseas with the RSA in Scotland, Abu Dhabi and the USA. In 2019 he received the Hanley Energy Award for Landscape at the RHA Annual Exhibition and was selected for the Straight Out Of Ireland Exhibition in Philadelphia, USA.

“I paint mainly in oils and acrylics, principally figurative, with a strong interest in the dynamics of the natural world. My love of nature, the countryside and wild places has been hugely inspirational, in particular my surroundings in the uplands of Wicklow close to home. A keen hill walker, bird watcher and falconer, I have roamed these hills for many years. It never ceases to amaze how it inspires every time. While outdoors I take photos, sketch, sometimes paint, often finishing small works on site. Generally these are prompts, ways of gathering information in preparation for larger paintings completed in the studio”

Reza Macdougald

Born in 1967 Reza Macdougald has been working in the world of the Visual Arts as a multidisciplined artist for over 20 years. He specialises in both painting and sculpture. His immense love of nature is a constant inspiration whether it is painting of a landscape, or flora and fauna. As a sculptor he is one of the few sculptors in Ireland that carves in the beautiful medium of white marble, again creating images of wildlife and other subject matter in a simplistic but stylish form. Currently he runs his own gallery ‘The White Box Gallery in Naas, Co Kildare from where he also teaches both adults and children, sharing his knowledge of both sculpture and painting to his students. His work is included in both private and public collections at home and abroad. Commissions are also undertaken.