Jacinta Eiffe

Every one of us is shaped by our environment to varying degrees and to varying degrees we all try to shape our environment. Perhaps this is not something that is immediately obvious in everyone but it is a truth which the artist will always find it hard to hide. Jacinta Eiffe Faherty is an artist who is proud to have been shaped by her environment and endeavours to find and express its beauty at every available opportunity.

Born and raised in the fertile and historic plains of East Meath Jacinta, from an early stage in her career took inspiration from the natural and man-made landscapes that surrounded her. In addition her Mother was from Doohoma, near Belmullet in County Mayo and trips to this beautiful and rugged landscape made an indelible impression on Jacinta from an early age. Landscapes, seascapes, magnificent castles, ruined churches, humble cottages and moored fishing boats have all at one time or another found their way onto Jacinta's canvases and continue to form a core of her work.

Having come from a farming background and living on a farm to this day Jacinta feels an affinity with nature and seeks to express the vividness of its myriad of changing colours and forms in a manner which is romantic yet touchingly honest. However as someone who enjoys setting herself new standards and new goals Jacinta has never allowed herself to become stuck in a creative rut and has always endeavoured to have as broad a horizon as possible. New landscapes which have fallen under her eye as her career progressed have included Tuscany and the South of France (where she endeavours to travel at least once a year) and even the Middle East. While landscapes have remained the primary focus of her work throughout her career she also has painted a wide variety of portraits, still lifes and has on occasion even moved towards a more expressionistic style.

Jacinta is mainly self taught and it is this background which has allowed her to develop such a personal and honest style. However she has always sought to expand her range of abilities and has taken courses in oils, watercolours and portraiture in NCAD. She has sought to pass this knowledge and her love of painting on to others and has, for the past twenty years, been running courses and workshops from her studio at her home in Co. Meath.

Jacinta has held numerous solo exhibitions and in addition exhibits with a number of art groups. She has also received commissions from public bodies including the department of education and Meath County Council, pointing to the high regard in which she is held in her native county. However interest in her work has also come from further afield and to mark the Centenary of Bloomsday she was commissioned to produce a series of high quality prints of her Joyce related work by Aer Rianta which were shown and put on sale in Dublin and Shannon airports. A nother notable achievement for Jacinta was when Dublin Fire Brigade commissioned her to paint a scene of fire fighters entering the site of 'Ground Zero'. This painting was presented to the New York Fire Department by their Irish colleagues on Saint Patrick's Day 2007. It now hangs in the 9/11 museum.

Jacinta lives and works in Dunshaughlin, Co. Meath. Her husband Desi is a dairy farmer and they have three grown up children.