Ceinwen Birrell

Born in Glasgow, 1981.

My paintings explore juxtapositions between things, liminal spaces that exist between harder, binary borders. With my work I find myself weaving together the ordinary with the surreal and psychedelic; playing between the realms of the conscious and unconscious mind; inhabiting a space between humour and grief; and where queer and radical merge with the conformities of life. My paintings contain echoes of myths, folk-lore and magick intermingled with the mundane day-to-day.

Focusing on these liminal spaces often brings me to consider rights of passage. Watching my children grow and adapt to our modern world and its customs, has helped me to understand myself and my own experiences. This learning connects to my interest in human development- particularly in relation to our unconscious minds; how the life stories that play out around me connect with age old stories and beliefs from around the world. I’m interested in how unconscious knowledge connects to these stories through our behaviour and through our dream time and what this reflect back to us and why.

In terms of process I begin new work using a combination of references from collected images and personal photographs and from preliminary sketches a pai...

2019 | MA Art Psychotherapy | USW

2009 | MA Fine Art | Bath Spa

2005 | BA Fine Art | Bristol

2021 | ‘Yellowed Blossoms’ published on the cover of the ‘International Journal of Art Therapy: Inscape

2021 | Bristol Artist’s Collaborative - D-Unit Gallery (Group Show) | Bristol

2019 | Examined Expressions - Lansdown Gallery (Group Show) | Stroud

2018 | Grow - The Riverfront Theatre and Arts Centre (Group Show) | Newport

2017 | Attachment - Barnabas Arts House (Group Show) | Newport

2010 | Ceinwen & Star - The Emporium Gallery | Bristol

2010 | Center Space Gallery | Bristol

2009 | Bath Spa University, (Group Show) | Bath

2008 | Pop Up Exhibition - Lansdown Road | Bath

2005-2010 | TAA Random Artists Annual Exhibition (Group Show) | London, Brighton & Bristol

2005 | Royal West of England Academy (Group Show) | Bristol