First Light: An Exhibition by Richard West

First Light, a solo exhibition of wooden sculpture by Connemara artist Richard West, is showing at Leitrim Design House in Carrick-on-Shannon until Saturday, 15 August 2026. West works with found and unseasoned wood, letting each piece warp naturally as it dries before finishing it with scorching and metal leaf. The show includes Abyss, a vessel made from storm-damaged ash with a gilded copper leaf interior, the piece that won him the 2025 National Design and Craft Award.

What to expect

The exhibition is made up of one-off sculptural vessels and forms rather than a production run of similar pieces, with the natural warping of unseasoned wood treated as part of the finished work rather than a fault to be corrected. Colour comes from scorching the wood and applying metal leaf, and some pieces are worked so the leaf catches the light and appears to glow from within. A studio video of West at work is on display alongside the finished sculptures, giving some sense of the process behind them. Leitrim Design House operates as a working craft gallery and shop inside The Dock building, so browsing is free and open during normal shop hours. West gives an artist talk in person on Saturday, 1 August 2026 at 12pm, talking through his materials and process for anyone who wants to hear directly from him.

Getting there

Leitrim Design House is inside The Dock building on St George’s Terrace, Carrick-on-Shannon, a short walk from the town’s bus stop and railway station, with public parking nearby in the town centre.

While you’re in Carrick-on-Shannon

Carrick-on-Shannon is the county town on the River Shannon, with independent shops and cafes on the same streets as the gallery. There is more to see in Carrick-on-Shannon and across Co. Leitrim.

Good to know

• Dates: Friday, 17 July to Saturday, 15 August 2026
• Artist talk: Saturday, 1 August 2026 at 12pm
• Venue: Leitrim Design House, St George’s Terrace, Carrick-on-Shannon
• Price: free to view