Co Down artist opens up her first studio

Jacqueline Rooney was the head of a busy secondary school art department for 12 years, before she left in 2018. She has gone on to win a number of prestigious awards and her vibrant and emotive artwork is available in galleries throughout Ireland, online at jacquelinerooney.com and now from her stunning studio in Rostrevor.

Jacqueline Rooney said: “I am absolutely delighted to have opened my first studio as I can now showcase my artwork and meet and connect with some of the people buying my pieces. When the galleries shut due to lockdown, it was a worrying time for me as a small business owner, because until then, that was my main source of income. Once I got over the initial panic, I worked hard to develop the Ecommerce side of my website and this has massively transformed my business over the last five months.

“The sales have trebled since March and I am now exporting to all over Europe, America and Australia. Whilst I have a strong local market, 45% of my orders are now coming from outside of Northern Ireland.

“At the end of April, I launched a new ‘Wildflower’ collection, which was inspired by the daily walks with my children who said the colours of the flowers reminded them of the colours in my work. I’ve been blown away by the response and what began as little symbols of hope at a time when we really needed them, are now on the walls in people’s homes across the world and this is something I am just so proud of. This demonstrates how art can be used at even the darkest of times to help bring some light and positively.

“Having the time over recent months to focus on my business has also led to so many opportunities. One of which is with Jay Blades, the Presenter of BBC’s ‘The Repair Shop’ who contacted me after the vibrant colours of my artwork caught his eye. He showcased one of my pieces across his social media channels and this generated lots of interest and a further boost in sales. We’re in the process of working on our next collaboration and with my new studio and the plans I have in place to ensure the continued growth in the months ahead, it’s definitely an exciting time for me as an artist and as a businesswoman.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper whenever you are able to do so.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper when you can safely.

You can also enjoy unlimited access to the best news from across Northern Ireland and the UK by subscribing to newsletter.co.uk

With a digital subscription, you can read more than five articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Thank you