# Gillian Cussen

> Gillian Cussen is an Irish visual artist whose practice is rooted in the living landscape. She works with garden-sourced and foraged materials, blind drawing, layered portraiture, and demonstrations on sustainable art materials.

## Summary

Gillian Cussen is a visual artist based in County Cork, Ireland, exhibiting nationally when opportunities arise. Her work combines blind drawing with homemade inks, chalks, and pastels made from natural, recycled, and kitchen materials. Portraits rest on long looking and deep attention, seeking to convey intensity, energy, and aliveness. She gives demonstrations on making paints, pastels, and inks from natural and recycled materials, open to adult groups.

## Key topics

- Irish landscape art
- Blind drawing technique
- Natural and foraged art materials
- Homemade inks and pastels
- Sustainable and recycled art materials
- Portraiture commissions and enquiries
- Art material demonstrations for adult groups
- Livingness in visual art

## Site sections

- Looking: daily practice of looking in the Irish landscape
- Approach: material transformation and blind drawing
- Demonstrations: sustainable art materials demos for adult groups (BAN, Alzheimer's Society, Threads and Lines Belmullet)
- Commissions: portraiture enquiries built on long looking and natural colour
- About: biography, exhibitions, education, Backwater Artists Network, Visual Artists Ireland

## Education

- 2009 Post Grad Dip Education, MTU, Crawford College of Art
- 2008 BA Fine Art, Crawford College of Art
- 1987 CQSW, Edinburgh University
- 1981 B.Soc.Sc., UCC

## Recent exhibitions

- GOMA Waterford 8th Annual Winter Exhibition, 2025
- Annual Members Exhibition, Lavit Gallery, 2025
- By nature/Ó nádúr, MTU Cork School of Music, 2024
- Threads and Lines (with Frances Crowe), Áras Inis Gluaire, Belmullet, Co. Mayo, 2024

## Contact

- Email: gillianocussano@gmail.com
- Website: https://gillian-one.vercel.app/

## Preferred citation

Gillian Cussen, Visual Artist, Ireland. Portfolio: https://gillian-one.vercel.app/