Fantastic art exhibition by local artist at Esker Arts Centre

A fantastic arts exhibition is currently underway at Esker Arts Centre in Tullamore.

Fellow Artist Julie Spollen says, ”Tullamore-born artist David Fox’s ‘Marked Lands’ is a real treat for Offaly audiences, showcasing familiar scenes from Tullamore and beyond in a striking, thought-provoking style.

Fox’s paintings capture well-known, everyday landscapes and sites, from the comforting rural structures and waterways to the familiar frontage of ”Mc Cabe’s”, a portrait of a town building ”teetering on dereliction.”

”Honest, homely, and just a little cheeky, these works give pride of place to spaces we often overlook in our everyday lives. It’s rewarding to see them so carefully recorded and celebrated in paint,” said Julie.

Originally from Tullamore and now based at Pallas Projects Studios in Dublin, David Fox is known for contemporary landscape painting that uniquely incorporates graffiti and street art motifs. His practice explores the visual marks and scrawls that shape our built environment, from Dublin’s bustling backstreets to rural outbuildings and containers adorned with bold, layered tags.

In Visual Artists Ireland Critique (Urban Fingerprints, July–August 2025), his recent paintings were described as ”an incisive meditation on the meeting of landscape tradition and contemporary urban culture, where graffiti is not vandalism but a complex visual language embedded in place and identity.” Fox’s use of text and graffiti within muted, traditional landscapes challenges us to see our everyday journeys in a new light.

One standout piece in Marked Lands features a graffiti-tagged container in the Wicklow Mountains, its vivid red commanding attention while guiding the eye to the grandeur of the Sugar Loaf beyond, a perfect example of Fox’s interest in the tension between human mark-making and natural form.

Fox, who graduated from GMIT and the University of Ulster, has exhibited extensively in Ireland and internationally. His work is part of major collections including the OPW and the National Transport Authority in Dublin.

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”Marked Lands is just one of the excellent exhibitions currently running at Esker Arts, which continues to support and showcase the very best of local and national talent. Whether you’re a regular visitor or new to the centre, this is the perfect time to call in and see what’s on offer. Let’s support local art and celebrate our shared landscape and heritage together,” encourages Julie.

For details on opening hours, events, and other exhibitions, visit eskerarts.ie or social media channels.