Interview by Susan Barzallo
Eve Parnell is a graduate of the National College of Art and Design in Dublin. Her gentle pencil drawings exemplify the beauty of nature, animals, and the importance of appreciating and caring for all creatures, even the unpopular ones. Her art is shown in exhibitions throughout Europe and is included in prestigious collections around the world. Eve hopes her message of compassion makes a lasting impression.
THE SUNBEAM
Where are you presently living and working? Have you always been an artist?
Yes, I’ve always been an artist. I have a studio in Ireland, and I exhibit across Europe, most recently the Kungerkiez Gallery in Alt Treptow. Berlin held a solo exhibition of my work, a series of 16 drawings, before that in London my drawing of battery hens was selected by the Society of Graphic Fine Arts for their Annual Show.
How long have you been vegan? Was there a specific experience or event which led you to veganism?
I have been vegetarian for years, but I did not know about the horror of the dairy industry until relatively recently, despite, years ago, having asked farmers, Do cows just give milk? When I pressed the individuals about the process of their practice, they lied to me. So, when I discovered the horrible truth, I was particularly shocked and immediately withdrew my support by refusing to buy dairy products and of course I cannot eat or drink something so wrongly taken.
How do you describe your art and style? What materials do you use?
Much of my art is pencil on tissue paper. I chose tissue paper because it is so delicate. The paper I use is traditionally used in wrapping and not by artists. I work with pencil because everybody has access to a pencil. Art is for everybody. The combination of pencil and tissue paper is an interesting dynamic. The pencil is a tool used by artists for centuries, the paper is so fragile it is almost not there. In my drawings I achieve a perfectly balanced partnership of delicacy and permanence.
I AM COLD
Where do you find inspiration for your artwork? What messages to you hope to express?
Inspiration for my work comes from the ‘everyday’ that is the world we all live in. The message I hope to express is best explained by a little sculpture I made which was selected by the Royal Academy of Art in London, for their 250th Annual Show. A panel led by Grayson Perry chose to exhibit my sculpture of a life-size garden slug! He was the only slug at this prestigious show! Slugs are not as glamorous as snails, and slugs are generally disliked, and not just by gardeners! But slugs are wonderful creatures and they have the right to exist in peace.
Have you ever visited factory farms, slaughterhouses, or other places animals are treated cruelly?
In answer to that question I say, do we have to watch a woman being raped to know it is wrong? Do we have to see a person being ‘kneecapped’ to know it is painful and destructive? Everybody knows the truth behind the walls of a slaughterhouse or an abattoir. People don’t have to hear the screams and smell the fear or stand in blood to acknowledge the horror. We don’t have to wait to personally witness a vile abuse to decide it is time for us to take the right action. I have seen animals treated cruelly and I have reached out to help them.
One day, a few years ago, I was on my way to my university when a huge truck passed by on the road. The most shocking, stomach turning, and lingering smell accompanied the massive metal vehicle. I stared and saw many wide eyes peering back at me, eyes I recognized, expressions I recognized. In the city traffic I couldn’t hear their voices, the truck pulled away, it dawned on me what was in store for these Innocents and I know what they were trying to understand why they were betrayed.
HOW DEPRESSING IT IS TO BE FORGOTTEN
How do you use your art for animal rights?
Every exhibition I participate in I convey a message of the need for more compassion in society. I gently introduce people to the realities of the inhumane treatment towards animals. For example, I was invited to exhibit in the National Maritime Museum in Finland, onboard the Finnish people’s favorite vessel, a big, beautiful tall sailing ship named Soumen Joutsen.
So, taking my theme of compassion and animals with me, I presented a series of drawings of dead pigeons. The curator was a bit worried when I told him, but he stuck by me. On the first day of the exhibition, before the official opening, a group of several hundred schoolchildren were booked to visit the ship. My curator was very worried!
However, while my drawings of pigeons killed on the roads may address uncomfortable issues, they capture the beauty and individuality of these under appreciated, feathered city dwellers, and the children loved them! In fact, everybody loved them! And my curator was very happy.
More recently, in the Kungerkiez Gallery, I presented drawings which really are quite sad. I represented individuals who, to be honest, are probably no longer with us, and more than probably died a horrific death, struggling. People told me, after viewing the exhibition, they felt very sad and were reminded of times when animals cried to them for help. I also donate money from sales of my works to animal charities.
Can you explain how you “liberate animals from other artist’s paintings?”
This is something I brought to my most recent solo show in Berlin in the Kungerkiez Gallery. Often, I visit the National Gallery of Ireland. There are lovely paintings on display. I decided to count the number of animals represented and I was surprised first, by the low number and second, by how poorly some were painted. They were painted as though they were unimportant. So I sought out these individuals and took them out of the background. They are now justly, the centre of attention in my works.
FISCH IN NETZEN GEFANGEN
How do you deal with the stress of tackling such difficult topics in your work?
I don’t know, it can be very depressing, but my sadness is nothing compared to the emotions the innocent victims of abuse feel.
Where is your artwork displayed around the world?
You will find my work in the Vatican City, in the Collection of HRH The Prince of Wales, in the State Art Collection of Ireland, and onboard a Naval Ship belonging to the Armed Forces of Malta on humanitarian duties in the Mediterranean.
You have met many famous people through your art. Has any one of them had an impact on you or your artwork after meeting them?
Have any of them had an impact on me? Well, to be honest not really. I have an important message and I hope through meeting me, they might remember to be a little more compassionate to the world around them.
I meet many lovely people. Amongst the famous people I found Mikhail Gorbachev very interesting, polite, and engaging.
In 2015 I was presented to TRH The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. They were given a large drawing I did on tissue paper with pencil and chalk pastel. The Royal Couple were genuinely interested in the work, asking me to explain the symbolism, to which HRH Prince Charles replied, ‘You’re a genius!’
One day I met William Shatner and he is amazing! Very vibrant and full of energy! I often think of Star Trek and particular lines from the original series; for example, Sulu says, ‘What a terrible way to die.’ And Kirk replies, ‘There are no good ways.’ So with scripts like that, I had to ask Captain Kirk for a hug!
IF YOU COULD HEAR
In 2016, I was invited to create an exhibition for Stormont, the Parliament in Northern Ireland. I chose to commemorate the centenary of the WWI Battle of the Somme in Europe and the Easter Rising in Ireland. Giving a lot of thought to the troubled location and history of the exhibition space, I thought of a ‘parliament of crows.’ The crow family has a very highly developed language. They are social and intelligent and have many associations with humans, so I drew a series of crows and ravens carrying a banner with a message. I was delighted when the Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness opened this exhibition, giving a very appropriate speech. He was an extraordinary person and it was a privilege to talk with him.
Eve Parnell with Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness
In November, for the opening of my solo show in Berlin ‘Der Sonnenstrahl’ (The Sunbeam), I asked one of the few MEP’s in the European Parliament who stands up for animal welfare, Martin Buschmann from the Human Environment Animal Protection political party, to speak. He works very hard and is a very generous person and I was thrilled he came along, giving a short talk and thoughtfully spending lots of his time meeting the guests. We both shared the need to recognise the harm poor animal welfare practices cause to our environment and ourselves.
In Rome, I met the President of Ireland, Micheal D. Higgins. He is a poet and recognized for being very cultural. He is also very popular because he shows an honest interest in people. Shortly before a solo exhibition of my work in the Pontifical Irish College in Rome, President Higgins wrote a lovely letter, encouraging and demonstrating that people who care about issues can make a difference.
Are you planning any exhibitions in 2020?
Yes! Assisi in Italy is famous for its association with the Catholic Saint Francis of Assisi. He is the Patron Saint of Animals. Saint Francis advocated a simple diet and directed his followers to treat all creatures fairly and with love, so I am delighted to be taking my drawings, which illustrate the dignity and beauty of animals, to this ancient medieval town.
Where can our readers find your artwork online?
Google me! And on my website Eve Parnell.
