The House Of Pane

Mary-Kate 20NOV20

t’s hard to keep up with the adventures of Greystones artist Mary-Kate Hardy…

One minute, she’s painting a study of The La Touche Hotel, the next she’s painting a set for her nightmare escape room on Hillside Road.

Oh, and then there’s the face painting, her daily self-portrait creations over the month of October turning Hardy into a TikTok sensation, going from 20,000 followers to over 100,000 followers (and 1.6m likes) in just 30 days.

And a quick look at her incredible transformations will explain why.

Another string to Mary-Kate’s bow is Fenestrations, transforming windows and walls into massive paintings in buildings all over Greystones and beyond. And it’s a talent that is being put to good use right now, as the artist paints the 12 days of Christmas on shop windows sprinkled throughout the town.

This grey Friday evening, the hardy Ms Hardy’s 12-step program is ten days and about six windows in, with seven swans a-swimming currently being added to one of Café Grey’s handily oversized windows.

Keen not to reveal where each and every one of the 12 paintings will appear, Mary-Kate hopes each one will catch people by surprise. “Especially children,” she says. “They tend to find the magic quicker than adults…”

With Greystones’ annual Christmas lights ceremony all ready to take over Saturday, we talk festive feeling, frenzied fans and fine art with one of Santa’s busiest little helpers…

Discover all the fun of Greystones Christmas Lights ceremony day right about here.