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Emer Clifford

@emer_clifford

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Artist | PhD
Exploring fragility, strength and the invisible
Playing with "otras miradas" - other ways of looking and seeing.
📍 Cork, Ireland

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I cannot allow today to pass without acknowledging the inspiration for, and in many ways, the driving force behind my memorial stone art.

Today marks the second anniversary of my sister, Tina, who like all too many, lost her life to cancer. The eldest of us four girls, T had a big brain and an even bigger heart. Her beloved son Daniel and her furbabies, as she called them, were her everything.

When T died, I felt helpless - a natural feeling for anyone experiencing loss. I couldn't change anything but *needed* to do something for both T and my grieving family...

Inspired by Tina's love for gardening and her appreciation for the beauty of nature, I created this memorial stone as a celebration of her life, a tribute to her vibrant spirit, and a source of upliftment and connection for those who loved her. The intricate floral patterns and tiny butterfly details are a nod to Tina's love for gardening and her appreciation for the beauty of nature.

I hope that all of the stones I create for others who have experienced loss will bring the same level of comfort and connection that this stone has brought to me.

All T ever wanted to do was help others.... In her honour and for your wellbeing, I am asking each of you to check yourself for any unusual lumps, bumps, blemishes, or discolorations. Remember, early detection is key in the fight against cancer. Let's honour Tina's memory by taking action today. Set a reminder on your phone to chime once a month and check yourself regularly. There are too many young people in our graveyards....

#soulrocks
#sisters
#loss
#cancer
#checkyourself
#stoneart
#celebrationoflife
#celebrationoflove
#loveneverdies
#memorialart
#artinspiration
#artastherapy
#connection
#healing by @emer_clifford

Sun, shadows, and a little bit of chemistry magic. ☀️💙 Happy World Cyanotype Day!

#WorldCyanotypeDay #Cyanotype #PrussianBlue #SunPrint #throwback by @emer_clifford

So often we spend our energy trying to push upward against the tension, that we forget to celebrate the brief moments when everything aligns. It doesn't stay balanced forever... The pause itself is where the magic lives. by @emer_clifford

"I am the earth, I am the sky, I am the fire, I am the water. In their merging, I find the rhythm of the universe."
— Rumi by @emer_clifford

I never even knew that wet cyanotypes were a thing until yesterday.

So, while the sun's out and the kids are home this afternoon, we've oodles of fun!

They may have needed to change their clothes after getting hosed down too. 😆 Sure it was too tempting not too! 😉

#wetcyanotype
#familyfuninthesun
#botanicalart
#printingexperiment
#hoseddown by @emer_clifford

A different take on iced coffee!

Had so much fun playing with cyanotypes in this glorious weather!

Loved revisiting my old brain drawings, and introducing some ice and coffee - the two things that help my head the most when in a bad flare up. Watch what happens when these two ingredients are introduced to some cyanotype fun in the sun!

#CyanotypeProcess
#coffeetones
#chiarimalformation
#visibilización
#invisibleillnessawareness by @emer_clifford

"The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea."
— Isak Dinesen by @emer_clifford

Studio magic is when Olan's bronze sculpture decides to share its light with my (M)Otherhood feather and eggshell sculpture.

Last chance to see Chaos and Creation @kinsalecampusofficial, as @kinsaleartsweekend comes to a close.

Photo credit: @ilsedahms

#mixedmediaartists #etherealvibes #featherandeggshell #documentingmotherhood #sculpture_art by @emer_clifford

No sympathy needed

As an artist, my work is entirely shaped by my lived experience, including navigating life with invisible chronic ill-health. As a result, the rhythm of my creative life is undulating—I go from beautiful artistic flow one moment, to a sudden or extensive pause for weeks on end.

And while I shy away from sharing my "behind the scenes", it would be inauthentic of me not to honor the truth of how my art comes to be.

Slide 1 - Yesterday afternoon:
After an afternoon of playing with cyanotypes in the glorious sunshine, I took a rest on the grass and caught this idyllic reflection of my unruly garden on my watch. 🌄

Slides 2 & 3 - Today:
Same glorious sunshine, only this time reflected in the door in front of my trolley in a makeshift bay (AKA emergency exit) of an overrun hospital.

Even from a makeshift bay, the eye doesn't stop looking for composition, and the heart doesn't stop looking for light.

No matter the location, that blue sky is still glorious folks! So enjoy every second. 🏖

To anyone else navigating a sudden shift in your view right now—I see you. 🌿✨
———
#ArtistLife #LivedExperience #InvisibleIllness #CyanotypeProcess #CreativeProcess by @emer_clifford

I recently visited the Joan Castejón exhibition in Dénia, Spain and honestly, I can't stop thinking about it.

My seven-year-old and I were sucked in to each and every work of art - looking closely to see what materials were used and how he worked them to create such interesting and unique expressions. We even nerded out by drawing our favourites!

Once the short video loop of Castejón creating a charcoal portrait started playing, we found ourselves entirely mesmerised by his mark-making process.

For me, his drawings were particularly powerful and made me reflect, as I so often do, on the wondrous nature of art.

Isn't it awe-inspiring to think that someone who you and I will never know, creates something from their own soul, and yet it feels like it was made just for us as individuals?

This realisation regarding the power of art never gets old! Every time I see a new work to which I feel a deep connection, I'm stuck again by this same awe.

I just can't imagine anything replacing art made with real heart.

#humanconnection #casadelacultura #chronicillness #motheranddaughter❤️ #artappreciation by @emer_clifford

Don't mention the children.

In 2014, poet Michael Rosen wrote those words to expose how the world tries to silence the names of dead children.

In 2025, artist Michelle Moloney breathed new visual life into that grief, forcing us to confront the stolen futures of the children of Palestine.

Moved by their words and their art, my artistic response expands this lens to the children of the entire world.

It is an indictment of our collective apathy and a demand to stop merely looking at statistics, and to start truly SEEING the human toll.

Because if we aren't asking the hard questions, we are complicit.

Look at the children and ask yourself, who is protecting them?

#ArtAsResistance #MichaelRosen #MichelleMoloney #ContemporaryArt #ArtisticResponse by @emer_clifford

Chaos and Creation is officially open!

What a privilege to have had the opportunity to learn, create and grow @kinsalecampusofficial.

#exhibitionopening #fibreart #eggshell #makingtheinvisiblevisible #theresbeautyinthebroken by @emer_clifford