Lecturer at Waterford Institute of Technology

Reiltín Murphy was born in Dublin and moved to Wexford in 1980. She studied Fine Art at NCAD, Calligraphy and Bookbinding at The Roehampton Institute in London, and NCAD again for an MA . Reiltín worked in the National Museum as an archaeological illustrator before leaving Dublin, and then for many years taught calligraphy in the South East and exhibited widely, and at present is a lecturer in Waterford Institute of Technology.

Projects over the past few years include calligraphic artwork for two new tapestries ‘Unity’ and ‘Coming Home’ for Ros Tapestry; ’25: Direct Reflect’ exhibition (and publication) in Rowe Street Gallery, Wexford, Padraig Grant Photographer and 25 friends; Wexford Borough Council certificate ‘Billy Walsh Freeman of Wexford Borough’; The Lifesaving Foundation’s international annual presentation of one-off special certificate awards; calligraphic work for An Leabhar Mór / The Great Book of Gaelic which toured worldwide including to Wexford Arts Centre; the accompanying book was republished by The O’Brien Press a few years ago. Reiltín curated Letter & Leaf, an international exhibition of Calligraphy and Book Arts at the National Print Museum in Dublin, and collaborated on book works with painter Bridget Flannery for an exhibition in China called Our Books, Our Lives, her work was part of the Irish Calligraphy Society Peannarai’s exhibition Art in Ink: Contemporary Irish Calligraphy at the Chester Beatty Library Dublin. Reiltin has lectured at the National Gallery and the National Print Museum. Her work is in collections including Wexford County Council and the National Irish Visual Arts Library in Dublin.

View ‘ An Absence & A Presence’ within the Collection

Dealing with Loss and Death

“…. the two pieces are, in effect, one. The pieces are part of an exploration of bereavement which produced many images for me over several years. These two deal with that time shortly after a loss when we still expect to see our loved one at a bus-stop or in the supermarket and, seeing someone vaguely like, we think ‘Oh, there’s – no, of course, it can’t be”: concerning the two images ‘A Presence’ reflects “Oh, there’s -” while ‘An Absence’ reflects “- no, of course, it can’t be”. – Reiltin Murphy

Biography

• Group Artist Books Show in the Rare Books Room/Special Collections Library at the University of Manitoba, Canada, 2014
• Group Christmas Exhibition at SOMA Gallery, Waterford, 2013
• Wexford Artists Book Exhibition, Denis Collins Gallery, Wexford; toured to Daintree, Dublin and Limerick Institute of Technology, 2013
• “Reconnection”, Two-person show with Mia Leijonstedt at The Denis Collins Gallery during Wexford Opera Festival, 2013
• Bravura Opera Festival Group Exhibition. Blue Egg Gallery, Wexford, 2012
• Group Christmas Show, Art Upstairs, Wexford, 2010
• Craft and Design Showcase, Gorey, 2010
• Our Books, Our Lives, SiNordic Arts Space, Beijing, China, 2009
• Darkness and Light, WIT staff exhibition, Waterford General Hospital, 2008
• Art in Ink: Contemporary Irish Calligraphy, Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, 
2007
• Miniature Designer Bindings Exhibition, Grolier Club, New York, 2006
• Letter & Leaf, International Exhibition of Calligraphy and Book Arts, National Print Museum, Dublin, 2006
• Opera Festival Exhibition, VEC, Wexford.
 2005
• Artists Books,The Workroom, Dominic Street, Dublin and touring.
• Amalgam. Solo show. Signal Arts Centre, Bray
2003
• The Poet’s Teabag. Solo show. Pigyard Gallery, Wexford, with Bridget Flannery, St. Michael’s Theatre, New Ross, Co. Wexford, 2003
• Presence and Absence, Crawford Arts Centre, Scotland and toured UK, 2002
• Word as Image. Solo show Kildare County Library, Athy, 2002
• Eighth Wexford Artists Book Exhibition, Wexford Arts Centre, (contributed annually0, 2002
• Praxas, Thomastown Arts Festival, Co. Kilkenny, 2002
• An Leabhar Mór, Modern Art Gallery, Glasgow, Scotland toured worldwide, with Helen Gaynor,2002
• Time + Place, Windmill Arts Tralee, Co. Kerry, 2001
• Bookworks, National Library of Wales, 2000
• Solo show, Mullingar Arts Centre, Co. Westmeath, 2000
• Skellig Images, Cill Rialaig, Co. Kerry, 2000
• 4+4@4, Poetry/Visual Arts Project, toured Arts Centres of South East Ireland, 2000
• New Works. Solo show. Wexford Arts Centre, 1999
• International Lettering and Book Arts Exhibition. Salzburg, Austria, 1999
• International Bookbinding Exhibition, Kankaanpaan, Finland, 1999

Film

• Is Mise An Teanga, Viz Productions. Director Murray Grigor. In connection with An Leabhar Mór.
• Spleachada/Glimpse. www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRM5TMDmxro Finis Productions. Made for TG4. I represented County Wexford.

Lectures

• Bound Together: a Renaissance prince, a scribe and a bookish saint, National Print Museum, Dublin, 2009
• Irish and Polish Calligraphy and Book Arts, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 2007

Curation

• Letter & Leaf, International Exhibition of Calligraphy and Book Arts, National Print Museum, Dublin, 2006
• W.I.T. student exhibitions annually, venues include The National Print Museum, Dublin, Art Upstairs, Wexford and in Waterford the City Library and City Arts Office gallery at Greyfriars.

Publications

• Albert, Neale M. The Neale M. Albert Collection of Miniature Designer Bindings, 2006, Piccolo Press New York.
• Coffin Price, Valerie, Presence and Absence Exhibition Catalogue, 2003, Crawford Arts Centre, St. Andrews, Scotland.
• Circa 110. (2004) Whelan, Lorraine, exhibition review p69.
• Church Buildings Issue 98, Murphy, Reiltin. The Window of The Resurrection, St. Peter’s Cathedral, Belfast. 2006
• Hardy Wilson, Diana, Enrich Your Calligraphy. 1996. Simon and Schuster, Australia.
• Maclean, Malcolm and Doran Theo. (eds.) An Leabhar Mór; The Great Book of Gaelic.2002. Canongate.
• Wexford County Council Art Collection Acquisitions 2004. Wexford County Council.

Collections

• Neale M. Albert miniature books collection, New York.
• Wexford County Council.
• Charles J. Haughey.
• National Irish Visual Arts Library artist book collection.
• E.P.A. Wexford.
• County Wexford Education Centre, Enniscorthy.
• Private collections in Ireland and abroad.

Website:

www.reiltinmurphy.ie

Other Links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRM5TMDmxro