1. Presents
June 2016
Flights of Fancy
Short Stories on the Wing
An exhibition of the extraordinary
paintings of Kevin McSherry

2. Flights of Fancy Short Stories on the Wing
June 2016 www.mcsherry.ie 2
Introduction by Kevin Gildea. 2016
Welcome to the strange and wonderful land of Kevin McSherry - a place
where birds drive Italian scooters and cricket players have dirigible bodies. Our
guide is a subtle English biography, channeled through a charm that morphs to
eccentricity and finally, glorious weirdness.
Here, deep in the interior of McSherryland, we are introduced to
The Intriguing Obsessions of Uncle Eugene; a man in a deep-sea diving suit
(of sorts) points to a painting of a giant eye, is connected to a wooden duck and
sports an odd speaker on his frontage. Deep within the helmet there is a blue,
shrunken face, almost alien, almost not there, and of a similar colour to the
marine colour wallpaper in the background. 'Are we only our obsessions?', the
painting seems to ask. Yet questions and meanings can happily be parked in
such beautifully rendered self-contained worlds. No matter how inscrutable or
meaning-resistant, they have the completeness of dreams.
Blasphemy is located pictorially in the interior but thematically closer to the
border with reality. Here Noddy is depicted Christ-like on a cross as the
policeman tip-toes away and brilliantly captures the ultimate silliness at the
heart of all comedy that makes taking offence as silly as the image presented.
There is this stillness that permeates all the work, that operates like a deadpan
delivery, producing comic effect. An understatement that speaks madness.
Beside the border with reality there are pictures of birds, a richness of colour
beating almost imperceptibly from each. They would make beautiful stamps,
ideal for posting your dreams to McSherryland.
If I was to launch this exhibition, I should smash a champagne bottle against the
hull of an invisible ship and it would break into a thousand pebbles of glass
which would hang suspended in mid air, fantastical and still, like so many
Doran's Pre-fried Sausages, like the very McSherry paintings contained within.

3. Flights of Fancy Short Stories on the Wing
June 2016 www.mcsherry.ie 3
The Glorious Rule of Thirds
Acrylics on canvas. 30”x 15”
The Kildare Fancy
Oils on gessoed panel. 30”x 15”

4. Flights of Fancy Short Stories on the Wing
June 2016 www.mcsherry.ie 4
The Intriguing Obsessions of
Uncle Eugene
Acrylics on canvas. 8”x 10”
The Unsolveable Conundrum
Gilded Acrylics on canvas with
gilded frame. 14”x 16”
Blasphemy
Watercolour on Arches Paper.
12”x 16”
Great Uncle Marmaduke
Oils on canvas 11”x 16”

5. Flights of Fancy Short Stories on the Wing
June 2016 www.mcsherry.ie 5
HM Dirigible The Wren's Nest
On the occasion of His Majesty's Arrival at Lismore
Acrylics on Arches watercolour paper. 11”x 14”

6. Flights of Fancy Short Stories on the Wing
June 2016 www.mcsherry.ie 6
The Terenure Dirigibles
Oils on canvas. 12”x 10”

7. Flights of Fancy Short Stories on the Wing
June 2016 www.mcsherry.ie 7
The Peacock Guitar
Gilded acrylics
Proceeds to The Musical Youth Foundation

8. Flights of Fancy Short Stories on the Wing
June 2016 www.mcsherry.ie 8
A London Nocturne
Acrylics on canvas. 18”x 14”
Sister
Acrylics on canvas. 6”x 6”
Sister II
Acrylics on canvas. 7”x 5”

9. Flights of Fancy Short Stories on the Wing
June 2016 www.mcsherry.ie 9
Lucky Jake
Acrylics on canvas in Edwardian frame. 12”x 10”
The Coiffed Demigod
Acrylics on canvas. 6”x 6”
Waiting for the Plastic Hero
Acrylics on canvas. 6”x 6”

10. Flights of Fancy Short Stories on the Wing
June 2016 www.mcsherry.ie 10
All in this Together
Oils on canvas. 30”x 15”
Icon (After Paul Slater)
Gilded Acrylics on canvas. 10”x 12”

11. Flights of Fancy Short Stories on the Wing
June 2016 www.mcsherry.ie 11
'38 Stock
Oils on canvas. 36”x 24”
I Piumati
Oils on canvas. 63”x 40”

12. Flights of Fancy Short Stories on the Wing
June 2016 www.mcsherry.ie 12
King of the River
Linocut Print. 5”x 7” image area
I Piumati
Linocut Print. 8”x 6” image area

13. Flights of Fancy Short Stories on the Wing
June 2016 www.mcsherry.ie 13
Far from the Nest (Lapwing)
Gilded acrylics on canvas.
8”x 8”
Shadow of the Waxwing
Gilded acrylics on canvas.
8”x 8”
Kingfisher V
Gilded acrylics on canvas.
6”x 6”
Hummingbird VI
Gilded acrylics on canvas.
6”x 6”
Bullfinch
Gilded acrylics on canvas.
8”x 8”
Hummingbird III
Gilded acrylics on canvas.
6”x 6”
Flights of Fancy Short Stories on the Wing
June 2016 www.mcsherry.ie 13

14. Flights of Fancy Short Stories on the Wing
June 2016 www.mcsherry.ie 14
Ciara Garry
Paddy Murray
Deborah Logan
Thomas O'Malley
Nora Cleere
Conor O Reilly
Lou Reed
Katherina Fay
Karen Doyle
Anne Kelly Doyle
Sylvie Levasseur Reilly
Mary O'Brien
Dara O'Brien
Sharon O'Callaghan
Thank you to all the generous contributors who helped make this
exhibition possible through the good offices of Fundit.ie, including the
sponsors who wished to remain anonymous. I owe a big debt of
gratitude to Custodian Print Management for their printing expertise. To
Tony McDermott and Anne Corrigan of the Harold's Cross Community
Festival for their advice and assistance and to Fr. Gerry Kane of Harold's
Cross Parish.
Brenda Degan
Gerard Tannam
Anthony Casey
Riah Creighton
Áine Ní Mhearain
Cecilia Moore
Niall Lowney
Pierre Vasseur
Anne-Catherine Grandgeorge
Barbara Kelly
John O'Connor
Maire Begley
Leah Gaines
Irene Farrelly
Thanks also to my good friend, writer, humourist and TV presenter,
Kevin Gildea for giving the opening speech.
This show is for all of you, I hope you enjoy it.