Torrential rain drenches those who come to see the work of Michael Kane at the Rubicon Gallery.
Poet and biographer Anthony Cronin makes it in out of the rain. So does Barry Boland, a property developer and Kane's neighbour. Husband and wife Liz and Paul Wilkinson, from Balbriggan, come along. Jean O'Laoire, an architect who has known the artist a long time, is present also.
It's a family affair. Kane's daughter, Aoife Kane, a chef ("so I'm creative," she says), is here. His son, Oisin Kane, is expected shortly. And his wife, Shelly McNamara, an architect, is here too.
Artist Brian Maguire, says there could be no more fitting dedication of Kane's work than to the artist, James McKenna, who died this year. "He was a lovely generous man, the paintings are strong, they're generous. They are as wonderful as the man to whom they are dedicated."
Are the paintings autobiographical? Not intentionally, says Kane, "But people read stories into things."