The Killiney Arts prints and bone china tableware collections was created by two Irish landscape artists – Simon Hoe and Blaithin Quinn. The collection is split into two ranges: ‘Coastal Studies’ and ‘Burren Images’.
Simon and Blaithin wanted to create their art in a functional medium – something that would be used daily, where one could enjoy not only the picture, but the shape and character of the piece. Bone china was eventually hit on, and proved ideal. A beautiful material in itself, it is also a perfect base for delicate art, and utterly practical.
Simon first picked up a pencil before his first birthday – or so he is told! Scribbles turned into sketches, which in turn became paintings. The watercolour sketch seemed to capture the spirit of the place and the moment, and it is these that finally made their way onto the bone china.
Together Simon and Blaithin designed a collection of Irish tableware that allows you to enjoy a beautiful piece of the Irish landscape in your hands each time you have a coffee, or a bite to eat.
There was a further surprise benefit to marrying Irish landscape painting and bone china tableware – ‘We found that putting your painting around a cup or mug turns it from a static image into a journey. You are obliged to view only one part at a time, you can never see it all in one go, you have to move it around, – or walk around it! – to see the journey unfold. There’s focus, and a tiny bit of mystery and discovery there.’
Killiney Arts was born, and with much support from the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Enterprise Board the collection is now available from gift shops and galleries around Ireland and the UK, as well as from our online shop which delivers worldwide.
