An art exhibition exploring the spirituality of nature in the poetry of the American poet, Mary Oliver (1935-2019) opens in the Sherkin Island Community Hall on Sherkin Island, West Cork at 2pm on Thursday 27th August until 2nd September.
The Heavenly (In)Visibles is part of Patsy Atkinson’s MA by Research at MTU Crawford College of Art and Design. Her thesis title is Materialisation of the spirituality of nature in the poetry of Mary Oliver (1935-2019) in contemporary textile art practice. Her research bridges literary analysis, philosophy, spirituality, poetry and textile art making to illuminate the poet’s deep reverence for nature. The exhibition coincides with the launch of a documentary film on the life and work of Mary Oliver. Mary Oliver: Saved by the beauty of the World will be released by American Masters in the USA on 25th August 2026.
Patsy materialises Mary Oliver’s acute observation of the minutiae of the natural world and her gentle call to notice nature with wonder and in a contemplative way. In keeping with Mary Oliver’s creative processes, Patsy uses slow, meditative and nature-based processes, including ecoprinting, paper-making, monoprinting and natural dyeing using plants sustainably foraged from the hedgerows of Sherkin Island.
“As the landscapes of Provincetown were imbued into the poetry of Mary Oliver, my work captures the minutiae of nature and the colours and stillness of this beautiful West Cork island,” Patsy said.
The artworks in this exhibition echo key themes that emerged through Patsy’s thematic analysis of Oliver’s poetry: presence, interconnection, attention, animism and transcendence. One example is Attention, a multiple piece comprising 130 3” x 5” hand-torn papers dyed with plants such as sorrel, montbretia and nettles, all over-laid with monoprints of botanical elements.
Patsy’s research also included a collaboration with contemporary poets. Thirty poets responded to her interim artworks with original poems rooted in her research topic. The poets included Cork poets, Colm Scully, Paudrig Lee, Anne Rath, Bernadette Gallagher and Jennifer Horgan. Patsy materialised the poems into a meandering hand-made book made with ecoprinted cotton rag paper and beeswax imbued paper to honour Mary Oliver’s meditative walks in nature which the poet described as ‘dreamy sauntering’. She also created three wall-mounted scrolls with the poems printed onto silk organza. These will also be shown at the exhibition, along with a poetry film about the embodied process of handmaking.
Patsy hopes that her exhibition nurtures awareness of how empathetic engagement with the natural world and its spiritual energy can lead to more respect for nature, particularly during this time of ecological peril.
The Heavenly (In)Visibles will open daily from 12 noon until 5:00pm. Patsy Atkinson divides her time between Sherkin Island and Cork city. She was a recipient of an Emerging Artist Award in 2024 and was awarded a Future Makers Award from the Design and Craft Council of Ireland (DCCI) in 2025.