George Callaghan was born in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. He studied at Belfast College of Art and worked as a commercial artist, designer and art director at agencies including McCann Erickson and Leo Burnett. He describes the style of his art as ‘sophisticated naive’. He has been creative in many directions, including being a harp maker and player of the Celtic harp, and has lived in South Africa, Australia, Tasmania and France. His autobiography is titled The Last Minstrel.

Marie Phelan was born in County Galway, has lived in the UK and now lives in County Wexford. She combines photography with painted backgrounds that draw out and enhance the characteristics of her home-grown flowers and plants. She has an Associate distinction from the Irish Photographic Federation, is a member of Wexford Camera Club and exhibits regularly in Wexford, for example during the opera festival and at the Wexford Arts Centre cafe. As an enthusiastic gardener she has her pick of subject material, and with an eye to future images, grows unusual and colourful plant varieties. Her painted backgrounds are achieved using watercolour and mixed media. While a background is ‘oozing and in a state of flux’, she judges the moment to place her flower or plant, and captures it with a macro lens.

After graduating in fine art at Bristol University, Heidi Wickham moved to Sligo and initially got involved in aspects of theatre there: writing, set and costume design. She turned to charcoal drawing in 2004, and found a love for the medium as well as for her subjects – animals domestic and wild. Her animal art has since been shown at the Royal Hibernian Academy, the Royal Scottish Academy, the Royal Academy (UK), and the Royal Ulster Academy (RUA). Her awards include the RUA Drawing Prize, the RUA Friel Perpetual Trophy and the Hamilton Gallery Award. She now works in a range of media from a studio she has built at home.

heidiwickham.com