Get to know Fran Halpin - The Artist
Early Years
From a very young age, I knew I wanted to be an artist. I used to spend long hours drawing as a child. In school, I always found a way to end up sketching or colouring before the class was out. I’ve always been inspired by people and nature. By the time I got to secondary I was obsessed with Dali. I spent many hours copying his paintwork and making my own versions. In my sixth year in school, I was asked to create a huge abstract self-portrait. I remember being inspired by Dali and letting my imagination run away with me. One Friday evening the art teacher let me stay behind to finish my project. Absolutely delighted with life, I put my music on loud and got lost in the painting. When I finally surfaced, I realized it was very late, so I packed up and went to the main door only to discover it was locked. The school was eerily quiet and there were no phones around either. I checked every door in the school and everything was locked. So I did the only sensible thing I could think of, I smashed the main door and the alarm went off. I panicked and jumped through and ran all the way home. I still can’t believe I didn’t get into trouble. That summer I walked home proudly with that oversized painting under my arm and kept it for years.
I went on to study fine art for five years and graduated from Mount Joy square, where I specialized in sculpture. On leaving college I very quickly realized that it was going to be impossible to make a living from woodcarving and so began my career as a mural artist. I became self-employed at the age of 22 and travelled to America and Europe to paint murals. I always used to joke that I never had a real job, and I know I’ve been incredibly lucky to do what I do. I went broke for years but I never gave in. I always found a way to get jobs and managed to scrape by.
Taking Risks
A few years ago at the age of 43, I decided to turn everything on its head and create my own collection of work. It took the guts of a year to paint my first collection of ocean-inspired work. It took all my willpower to say no to paid work so as I could spend time in my studio. Any self-employed person will tell you how difficult it is to say no to paid work. It’s also incredibly empowering. Once I changed the direction I found new opportunities open up. I had my first solo exhibition in 2018 and everything sold, most of it before the exhibition. Since then I have concentrated mainly on my own paintings. I do still take on murals but I’m very selective in what I do. Murals are great for keeping me challenged. The sheer scale forces you out of your comfort zone. Last year I got the opportunity to travel to Switzerland to participate in an all-female group exhibition.
Inspiration
As a child, my family would go to the beach on those glorious sunny days during the summer. We would be warned the night before that if it was nice in the morning that we would be up and out as soon as my Dad got back from his milk round. I always remember the moment when the sea would come into view for the first time on the way to the Silver Strand in Brittas bay. A collective ‘WOW’ could be heard from the car as we watched that sparkle dance across the ocean. That feeling is magical. I feel like I bring that moment into my paintings sometimes. Sometimes it’s the little things that we take for granted that become important. Like a walk on the beach or in this case picking up stones. Now more than ever I feel the importance of this. With the year we as a nation have had, I think we are all looking for that moment of calm, and a connection with nature. The simple joy of being outside. To me, these paintings represent family and memories. Hopefully, they resonate with others who need this too. One of my biggest motivations as well is that I absolutely love what I do. I work really hard but at the same time, I don’t feel like it’s a job because I genuinely love it. Every day I feel lucky that I can drop the kids off at school and then head into my studio and I get to paint all day long. I get to paint anything I like, and then I actually get to make a living from this. It never ceases to amaze me and I’m very aware that this doesn’t happen to everyone who steps out on their own.
Future
In the future, I’d love to work big! This would bring all of my skills together in one place. My mural experience means I don’t get scared of a big canvas. The main challenge here would be transportation. Hopefully next year the art fairs will open back up and I can exhibit in the RDS again with some larger works! I would also love, once this pandemic is over and the world goes back to some sort of normality, to go abroad with my work again. I want to continue growing, sharing my art with the world, and doing what I love.