Connacht Tribune
Textile artist Kathy makes her mark
Lifestyle – Artist Kathy Ross fuses age-old crafting techniques and textiles to depict wildlife in a vivid, hyper-realistic way. She worked as a painter for many years before returning to her first love. Now, her work is making an impact internationally as she continues to push herself creatively, inspired by her local surroundings and her love of nature. She talks to JUDY MURPHY about her latest projects.
Runner’s knee, tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow – all problems caused by repeated physical activity. And don’t forget quilter’s shoulders!
Kathy Ross didn’t even know such a condition existed – at least until lockdown, when the Tuam-based artist embarked on a project to quilt a stag, measuring one square metre.
And not just any old stag. This magnificent creature is set against a forest background with different trees and leaves. Kathy used a range of techniques including drawing, needle-felting, applique and free-form embroidery to create this quilt, a true labour of love.
When it was nearly done, Kathy called to her local craftshop in Tuam, ‘Quilt, Yarn, Stitch’ for supplies. During her visit, she mentioned to owner Róisín McManus that her shoulders were killing her.
“Róisín just laughed and said ‘you have quilter’s shoulders’,” recalls Kathy. But it was worth it, she adds happily.
Kathy has now entered the finished work into an international quilt festival in Brighton. This is an annual event and on a normal year, she’d be bringing her stag over there, but because of Covid-19, she’s sending photos of the piece instead.
Kathy, who studied Fine Art and Art History in the National College of Art and Design, initially embarked on a career as a watercolour artist, taking part in group and solo shows and earning a reputation for her landscape and portrait pieces.
Originally from Lackagh and now living near Tuam, she made the transition to textiles about three years ago.
“I was doing a show called Timeless on old buildings around Tuam and I got frustrated by how two-dimensional they were,” she recalls of the process.
Around that time, she found a forgotten textile piece which she had made while in she was still in college. It reignited her interest in this form, which she’d also loved at school.
She started learning more about the process by drawing sketches on paper and sewing through them. Known as “free-motion embroidery”, this is basically painting with thread, she explains. She learned more about embroidery as well as about applique – stitching pieces of fabric onto a larger piece – so she could create extra layers and dimensions in her work.
Her resulting textured artworks of animals from cattle to sheep to hares were all inspired by local residents in Togher, where she lives with her husband Alan and their children Millie (11) and Luke (7).
Kathy’s love of nature means animals have always featured in her work and while her medium has changed as she aims to push herself creatively, her subject matter hasn’t.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
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Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
