Offaly artist's work to be displayed alongside Andy Warhol's at Ireland's largest art show

Offaly artist Willie Redmond's work will feature alongside pieces by Andy Warhol and Tracey Emin at Art Source, the country's largest art show at the RDS from November 14-16. 

The Edenderry native served for more than two decades as a crewman on the Air Corps in the Defence Forces carrying out helicopter search and rescue and air ambulance missions. 

Willie outlines what the demanding jo entailed explaining: "Small, simple missions are the ones that really stick in your mind, children on mercy missions and air ambulance journeys, where a child might need urgent transport to hospital for a procedure, are the toughest and give you a greater appreciation of life."

He added: "We also transported people after car accidents to specialist units dealing with head and spinal injuries, then the service of the islands in adverse weather conditions was a major role - Go Mairidis Beo (That Others May Live) is the unit motto applied by the crews.”

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Art provided a constant antidote to the difficulties of the job throughout his time and after retiring in 2007, Willie devoted his energy into doing art on a full-time basis. 

The decision was vindicated and his talent was rewarded earlier this year with an appearance on Sky Arts’ Landscape Artist of the Year.

Willie, who now lives in Killester in Dublin described how his love for art originated stating: "I was always painting from an early age, drawing in my spare time, when I served in Baldonnell (Casement Aerodrome), it was my focus during downtime,

He also spoke on how his profession influenced the art saying: "with the flying you were seeing the country though a different set of eyes, it made you more aware of how the landscape worked in terms of weather and features.

The Edenderry man continued: "In spring, you’d get thundery showers and behind them, it was like a white brush had passed through and made the landscape behind it white with hailstones. Or early morning flights with amber sunlight on fields and white hedgerow shadows from lying frost.”

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Willie, who describes his work as contemporary realism, believes that events such as the upcoming Art Source show in Dublin helps to open the art world to the public. "There’s more of a universal appreciation of art now, awareness is coming through and has given people the confidence to take an interest in it.”

Willie will be displaying an array of his art at the show including several new pieces such as Cliff Walk, Howth and Greenwash. Art Source will feature over 200 of the best Irish and international artists and galleries along with a big selection of affordable art. 

Art Source's organiser Patrick O'Sullivan says: "The Irish public shows increasing demand for art with every passing year and Art Source has become a must in the calendar year for anyone looking to add a piece of art to their collection."

He continued: "As a collective, Irish people have an innate cultural appreciation for the arts and Art Source not only gives them the opportunity to bring home one-off original artworks, but also to meet the artists behind the pieces."

Art Source is expected to draw in more than 15,000 people when it opens in the RDS from November 14-16. Those interested in attending can find out about tickets and more information by visiting here