Corrina works mostly in oils on board from her home studio in Dublin, where she lives with her husband Dermot, sons Owen and Matthew and her daughter Rose.
Corrina paintings each tell a short story in capsule form: children’s toys are abandoned on a deserted beach; a no-parking sign stands forlornly in a misty field, where no one is ever likely to want to park; a seaside resort is shrouded in rain. The compositions are pared back, meticulously edited, to pinpoint the essence of the scene at a particular moment in time, and to evoke suggestion and meaning.

The effects of light play a dramatic part in the works. They appear to be illuminated from within, a glow emanates. She often paints her subjects in early morning, or evening light, when shadows are long and colours are intense. These transitionary times of day are full of possibility, of the day ahead, or the evening to come. There is nostalgia and future hope tied up in the same image. A powerful combination.

Other works celebrate the joy of midday by the coast, whether it’s the blues of sea and sky near the artist’s home in Howth, or the more rugged environs of County Clare, where she also paints, with its rural expanses and vernacular architecture. East and West feel different, but the same elements are at work: selecting, editing, composing, suggesting narratives.

These small works are hard won. Her process involves building up the paint in multiple layers, often sanding back in between, until the desired surface and intensity of colour is achieved. It takes time and patience, but brings a depth to the image that cannot obtained by short-cuts. The results are beautifully composed and crafted vignettes, a visual diary recording a unique vision.