Nestled in the leafy surrounds of picturesque Crookedwood, Caithriona and Ollie Devine recently opened the doors of Westmeath’s newest creative space, Devine Art Studios, to the public. In the planning for over five years, the studio was a labour of love for the Crookedwood couple, who are partners in business and in life.
“Caithriona paints pictures, I paint the walls,” said Mullingar man Ollie.
The studios were made possible in part thanks to Leader funding which the couple were approved for, and they have already welcomed people into their new space. They are fully accessible and comprise of three large studios, a kitchen and a dining room. Although the walls are adorned with her own stunning creations, Crookedwood native Caithriona says this is a place to relax, have fun and create, regardless of artistic ability.
“At my workshops, like the adult-child day last week, I prep the canvas and everyone works on the same picture. Likewise, more confident artists can paint from scratch. There’s room here for everyone regardless of ability or talent – come here to spend time, relax and make memories. People who come to us are people who want to come to us; everything we do is based on the customer being relaxed and content. They may be tired leaving but they’ll be fulfilled, and that’s why we serve homemade artisan lunches (with locally sourced ingredients where possible) as part of the workshops. It’s time out from a busy world, we take care of you and you leave with your own creation.”
Caithriona took higher level art for her Leaving Cert, but decided to pursue accountancy as a career. It wasn’t until she was building her own house many years later that she returned to the easel.
“I wanted original paintings for my home, but we couldn’t afford them. I decided to paint my own and started taking art classes and courses. Then five years ago, when Rían was born, I quit my accountancy job to work at my art full time, giving classes and taking commissions. In August 2021, we registered Devine Art Studios as a business but I worked from our house until now.”
This was a risky move for Caithriona, a founder member of the Brosna Art Group, but one she never doubted.
“People thought I was mad, they couldn’t understand why I would do that, but I trusted my gut. I’ve had some trauma in my life and I took solace in painting; it has been my saving grace. I know the benefits of art for people and so I trusted that to move forward. There is so much more to art than people think. There are huge benefits to it for mental health, for mindfulness, for relaxation – everything.”
Dublin Bus worker Ollie was an integral part of the project. “It’s been a long road but here we are. We work as a team: Caithriona is the teacher and I am the backroom staff, looking after anything that needs doing around the place. You could say she paints the pictures, and I paint the walls. There is still work to do but we’ll get there as a family.”
The couple will continue to deliver courses, workshops and personal lessons and to welcome groups, parties and corporate retreats. As an idea considered ‘madness’ becomes reality, Caithriona has this advice for anyone thinking of following their dreams:
“Believe in yourself. Go with your instinct, you know what will work, and don’t give up. We had so many doors closed on us but we just moved on and knocked on another door. If that one closed, we’d go to another. Just don’t give up.”
Workshops include all painting mediums on mixed media, mosaics, creative writing, door wreath making, floral designs, wellbeing workshops, kids art and crafts classes and camps.
Devine Art Studios can be found at devineartstudios.ie and found on Facebook and Instagram. Contact Caithriona on 087-2702344 for more information.
