Des shows his talent

Kilcullen native Des Dillon is a young artist who is determined to follow his dream. And in some cases, that's quite literally, as the inspiration for some of his more intriguing work comes from his dreams.



Living in Naas for the past year, he held his second exhibition recently in Naas Library, showing a mixture of styles and interpretations, all done in oils.

Themes included landscapes of various kinds as well as abstract pieces, many of which were clear representations of his interest in strong colours.

There is also a strong element of fantasy in Des's work, some of which he is unable to explain.

"There are pieces here which come from something that I dreamed, that were perhaps the last thing that I remember before I woke up," he says. "I don't try and explain it to people who ask about a specific one, because each of them actually sees something different in them."

Des, who is just 24 but already has a substantial body of work under his brushes, didn't have formal training. But he says he was always interested in art from his time as a student in Kilcullen's Cross & Passion College. There, he was impressed by the work of art teacher Noel Scullion and his late wife Brenda, who also taught at the school.

"I actually got started painting myself when I looked at the work of Jack Yeats, and decided that I wanted to do something like that," he says.

It's not easy to make a living as an artist, especially when starting out, and Des has on his own admission gone through a number of different kinds of jobs to keep him going while he develops his art.

"The trouble is, after a full day's work at something else, you come home too tired to get stuck in to painting. I've tried a number of different jobs, pub work and nine-to-five, but it isn't easy. I do have a job now that gives me a block of time off at certain times of the month, and that's working out better."

Des would like to study formally, and plans to apply as a mature student next year for a place in art college. An earlier attempt to develop a portfolio at a PLC course didn't work out. But now he has his own body of work to show.

He also has the real-world feedback from people who have come to see his work at the local exhibitions. In particular, they were opportunities to hear the opinions of strangers.

"I don't mind if they say something isn't good, because everybody is entitled to their own take on it. And you can get something from any kind of criticism, positive or negative. But it is nice to when somebody says they're good. And sometimes you get people who actually spend time in front of every piece, discussing it between themselves."

If you can get people to do that last, there's definitely something there. A dream worth following.

Brian Byrne.