Mural brings City of Light to Armelle's

Madalina Cîrlig and Armelle.

A new mural in Armelle's Kitchen cake shop is a local showpiece for a young Kilcullen woman eager to turn her art into a career, writes Brian Byrne. The Parisian outdoor cafe scene is appropriate to France-born Armelle, who has spent the past 14 years developing her own patisserie in Kilcullen. 

The artist is Madalina Cîrlig, only 20, who already has a sharp business sense and an artistic talent refined during secondary school in Naas, to where her parents moved from Moldova when Madalina was seven. Instead of following the traditional route through third-level art after finishing at St Mary's College, Madalina decided to apply her skills directly to the marketplace. 

Her first job involved designing tattoos, but she realised it wasn't quite her scene, so she left that behind and now focuses on the 'big canvases' of murals. "This is much better because it gives me the opportunity to provide art that represents a business's brand," she says. "I've been building a portfolio of art and designs over the years, but for this kind of work, people want to see actual murals. I've been very fortunate to have this commission from Armelle, which is in such a public place." 

Armelle had a drawing of a Parisian cafe with outdoor tables and suggested Madalina draw inspiration from it. The artist expanded on that idea, creating a piece that hints at the City of Light with cherry blossom trees, a table for two with an umbrella, and a section of the iconic Eiffel Tower in the background. "An important thing was that there should be a lot of pink, because that's Armelle's colour. But I also wanted to show the macarons for which she is famous." A steaming cup of coffee beside a packet of macarons on the table suggests a diner just stepped away for a moment. 

The overall effect is very three-dimensional, making the shop appear larger and more summery. Part of Madalina's magic with the piece was not overloading the details. "The wall is not that big, and if you put in too much detail close up, it could look blotched and blurry. This way, viewers can imagine what's beyond the foreground." 

Living in Riverside Manor, Madalina owns her own business brand, Urban Canvas. She notes that murals like this are very popular in other European countries and sees great potential to develop them here. "I have proposals with other cafés in Kilcullen and Naas, so hopefully they will bring me more work." 

And more exposure. One advantage of having your work displayed in public commercial spaces is that passersby, going about their daily routines, don't have to go out of their way to visit a gallery to see your art. It’s a win-win for everyone.

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