And
A WONDERFUL COMPANION
Garden Lullaby
My garden sang a lullaby last Summer
Reminding me of characters of old
Of folks and dogs and friends who are no
longer
Of laughter, tears and hugs that warmed my soul
My garden sang a lullaby last Summer
It started in the heartwood of the tree
The wild flowers joined the grasses in the
chorus
Of robins, wrens and dragonflies and bees
They sang with dandelions sending sunshine
And singing to the pearly rain-washed sky
The poppies danced and swayed in bright red
scarlet
But no ladybird was there to sing her line
They sang how blackbirds queued for bathing
water
Joined by a cheeky sparrow, or three
How starlings used to splash in all together
Now the birdbaths sitting still and calm and
free
Next doors wild gardens home to teaspoon pink
birds
A brand-new car park may be on the cards
For SUV’s and E cars and Tour busses
For wild things tarmac’s simply way too hard
They say wild things are moving towards the
west coast
To find a home that’s safe, where they can be
But so too are so many folk and tourists
And there's no more meadows once you reach the sea
My gardens lullaby has helped me tune in
To lullabies of meadows, woods and fields
The oceans, lakes and streams and flowing
rivers
Are singing farewell nocturns in the breeze
Umbrella pines of Rome are slowly dying
Their majesty is fading in full view
Infested by a tiny vicious army
Can we save these ancient souls of Rome?
They say that even small things make a
difference
And maybe I can make a difference too
I’m listening to the songs from my garden
Where wild things nest, and live and rest and
bloom
Chorus/End
Songs from flowers, grass and trees
Songs from insects, birds and bees
Songs my garden sings
Songs from oceans, hills and bogs
These are natures songs of love
Songs our wild world sings
Ozzy, Colooney Whippet
Testimonial; When we commissioned Sheena to do a portrait of Ozzy, she insisted on spending time with him to get to know him. We are so happy with the final outcome as she has really captured the essence of his personality. It’s the Ozzy we see sitting on the couch beside us every night. We also love the painting on the coaster, cushion, greeting cards and key chain.
John and Zul, Dublin
Skoozie
Skoozie
Testimonial “Have just experienced some work completed by Sheena for us and wow….she is an incredible artist. thank you so much for sharing your terrific talent.”
J. Buckley, Co. Kildare
The Magnificent Red Setters, Ruairi and Regan
“Sheena visited our home and spent lovely time with our two red heads, Ruari and Regan .She spent time with both of them in our home and yard to get to know them and see their personalities. Through spending time with them she really captured both of their individual manners and interactions.
It is truly amazing to see in drawings and the paintings our precious girls come to life as we know them. We love everything she did. It was difficult to decide which portrait to choose.
All really captured their personalities as we know them.”
Kevin and Chuck,
USA
Ruari and Regan
Wolfhound, Trinity College Dublin – engagement commission
While my Pet Personality Portraits feature the pet, I am
sometimes asked to paint a pet with a special toy or in a particular place. An
example is a painting of Sarah and Mark walking through the front gates of
Trinity College Dublin with their Irish Wolf Hound, Ceili.
TESTIMONIAL
“When I commissioned Sheena to paint a picture to give as an
engagement gift for my daughter Sarah and her fiancé Mark I had an idea, an
emotion I was trying to portray.
After lengthy discussions, emails and a meeting, Sheena
understood what I wanted and put her brilliant talent to work. I was absolutely
delighted when I saw the finished painting, it had so much more meaning than I
could ever have imagined.
Sarah and Mark had met while studying in Trinity College.
Sheena did a beautiful painting of Trinity but also of Sarah and Mark and
Sarah’s beautiful Irish Wolfhound Ceili alongside them walking from the arch
towards the front gates. It was just perfect, and it is now hanging very
proudly over their fireplace.
Sheena also painted in gold, two wedding bands entwined and
after their marriage she will inscribe the dates in the bands.
This is a precious gift that they will always treasure.
Thank you so much Sheena for your dedication and your
attention to detail, for listening and for all your hard work and for giving us
a wonderful painting that will be in our family for many many generations.”
P. Darcy, Co. Wicklow
Millie
Our dog died suddenly. It was a shock, she was such an amazing dog
and a part of the family for 12 years. We
decided to commission a painting of Millie for the family for Christmas. The wordscape Sheena advised us to do helped
us to think about the many facets of Millie’s personality. Sheena took lots of
time to hear stories about Millie and really got the portrait right. The family’s reaction on Christmas Day was an
emotional one, as it was a surprise present.
The painting of Millie now hangs in the living room. Rather than an empty space we have a
beautiful painting to remember Millie in a positive way.
Alice and Jeff, Co. Kildare
Young bullock
At the great Feakle music festival a couple of years ago there were cattle in a field. All came to the windows of the Community Hall to listen to the music, jostling each other to get close to the windows to look in.
Cat
A gift of a portrait of a cat considering a ball of coloured wool, made up of the letters 'MA' for a recently completed Masters degree
Borzoi
Borzoi; Fast, wavy coated Russian sight hound.
Known as the ‘ballet dancers’ of the canine world, the Borzoi is streamlined, graceful and strong. Quiet, athletic and independent, they are gentle and sensitive with powerful hunting instincts.
Trinity Fox, G.M.B.
Siamese Cat
Testinonial I was very happy to receive this feedback from my client;
Sheena, oh my goodness, I just adore my Portrait of
Hussein Mahony. I knew you would do a great job but this is something else.
Immediately I saw it I thought ‘Oh Gosh this is so my Hussein’ but then the
eyes, they completely draw you in and suddenly I am staring right into his very
soul. It’s just so special. I can’t thank you enough. I’m trying to get a
photograph of him posing beside it but he doesn’t feel like it at the moment so
it remains a work in progress, I will share once his lordship feels like it
Dallas
Testimonial
DALLAS; As an owner of a pitbull I am used to the discrimination that these dogs can endure but upon a chance meeting with Sheena she instantly saw the beauty within my dog regardless of breed. She did an amazing job capturing the essence of Dallas (my dog) and I could not be more pleased with her work.
The picture, the cards and keyrings are all amazing and I’m glad to have these beautiful pieces that I can show my friends and family as I’m very proud of my dog and I love her dearly.
Leona. Co. Kildare
Relaxed young lurcher, gift
Tribute from the customer
‘It is a great joy to find an artwork that reflects
the person you are buying for as a present. Sheena’s Lurcher images struck with
great force when I came across them and as a result brought considerable
pleasure to the friend who received the painting ‘Relaxed Yet Interested’. Sheena
shows an intimate understanding and insight to the wonderful natures of the
Lurchers and Whippets who, with the Greyhound are the undiscovered & ideal
pets for any home and family. Our friend says it all. ‘Thank you!
Thank you! You are both VERY naughty. The painting is absolutely fabulous and I
love it.’
Stefan Nyland
Lulu. a Miniature Yorkshire Terrier with HUGE Personality
When I met Lulu for the first time she was the essence of a
welcoming, happy and friendly dog. I created some drawings and Jan chose
the one she preferred. As the painting revealed itself on canvas I
noticed a certain expression I had not consciously picked up on when I looked
into her eyes. I showed Jan the painting before doing any more work and
Jan burst out laughing. “Yes”. I
had caught the wonderful sassy nature to a tee! Lulu is gorgeous- and was
a complete pleasure to paint.
Thanks Jan for this testimonial; I cannot thank Sheena
enough for the wonderful portrait of my daughters mini Yorkie, Lulu, Sheena
captured Lulu’s sassy personality in a beautiful painting for my daughters 16th
birthday. Aside from the wonderful painting we have, we had a wonderful experience
with Sheena from first photo to finished product. A true and dedicated
professional. Thank you Sheena
Jan Lenihan
Flashing Steel
Winner Irish Grand National 1995. Flashing Steel loved Rathbride, and was a
part of the land where he lived for much of his 31plus years. He had a wonderful
eye, and loved the company of other horses.
Amber and Lola
Amber and Lola
Testimonial; 
Fantastic Paintings by Sheena Meagher
I asked Sheena if she would do a painting of our two
lovely rescue dogs, Amber and Lola, as a present to celebrate my husband’s 80th birthday.
I knew Sheena’s work and knew her love of dogs, especially rascally rescue
dogs, so was delighted when she agreed.
Sheena came over to the house when Noel was away to get
to know the dogs. The dogs were very excited at first with a new visitor,
especially one who was so fond of dogs herself. But they soon relaxed after
their initial welcoming ceremony and settled themselves next to each other on
the sofa in the sun room in their usual positions to see what would happen
next. Sheena took lots of photos of them there and then we all went outside for
a look round the garden and for Sheena to get a feel for where our dogs spend
most of their outside time.
From what she saw from the dogs and their relationship,
she suggested that two pictures would be best, with Amber and Lola looking at
each other. And rather than having them side by side on the sun room sofa, she
thought they would look better in an outside setting.
The resulting paintings are fantastic and we are
delighted with them. They really portray the dogs’ looks and expressions and
they have been much admired by visitors to the house. It is such a pity that
Amber and Lola cannot appreciate them too!
As well as the two paintings, Sheena also had printed for
us some note cards with the dogs’ pictures on them, so we can share them with
our family and friends. What a great idea!
Sally McCaffrey, Honorary Secretary, KWWSPCA
Young Joey, Kangaroo
I was very happy
to donate this study ‘Joey’ which was auctioned to raise money
to donate to the Australian Red Cross and WIRES (NSW Wildlife Information,
Rescue and Education Service Inc. – Australia’s largest wildlife rescue
organisation).
Lady Garfield
Testimonial. “It is indeed a tribute to Sheena’s talent, her ability to connect with animals and her endless patience that Lady Garfield choose her to paint her official portrait. Lady Garfield dictated the terms of her availability for sittings and choice of poses and, as can be seen from the photo, she is obviously delighted that her poise and sophistication has been perfectly captured as befitting a lady who claims to be a reincarnation of Cleopatra, the queen of the Nile. “
Mary Rose and Graham Barnes,
Co. Kildare
Chinese inks
Chinese brush paintings convey movement, spirit or essence rather than a photographic style portrait The materials I use include Chinese inks and brushes and paint on stretched canvas. The inks offer a full, rich colour palette
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