The artist Patrick Swift and his wife founded a pottery in Portugal in the 1960s that is still thriving today, writes Peter Murray
Renowned Irish artist Patrick Swift settled in the Algarve in Portugal where he and his wife, Oonagh, founded Olaria Porches Pottery in 1968. While Swift died relatively young, their three daughters and grandson continue with the artistic enterprise to this day. The Swifts founded the pottery with a mission to revive the making of ‘azulejos’, or painted ceramic tiles, a traditional Portugese art form dating back to Moorish times that had fallen out of fashion in the 20th century. These tiles are found on the interior and exterior of most buildings, both public and private, in the Iberian Peninsula and are not only used as an ornamental art form, but also have a specific function to control temperature in homes. Porches Pottery also made traditional domestic ware, some of which was decorated with designs by Swift
Research into theoretical principles across the fields of art, science and aesthetics imbue Nuala O’Donovan’s work, writes Mark Ewart
Eamonn Doyle’s portraits of Dubliners are unposed, untroubled by vanity and full of momentum, writes Stephanie McBride
