Rachael Johnson’s ‘Pareidolia’ launches at Strule Arts Centre, Omagh
5th May 2026
Fermanagh artist Rachael Johnson’s solo exhibition Pareidolia has launched at Strule Art Gallery, Omagh, following an opening event on Friday 1 May 2026. The exhibition runs until Saturday 30 May 2026.
Born in Leeds in 1962 and educated in Enniskillen, Rachael Johnson left home in 1980 to study Fine Art. She spent several years travelling and working abroad, before returning to Ireland where she worked as an illustrator and community artist in Dublin. Inspired by her travels, she began to develop and exhibit her own work.
She currently lives and works in Derry.
Rachael uses mixed media to create collage paintings on canvas. Materials can include oil and water-based paints, inks, pastels and charcoal; textured and handmade papers; organic material; fabrics and natural fibres; and elements such as metal, stone, wood and glass. Adventures in North Africa, South and Central America, Australia, India and South-East Asia fuelled an interest in the role of the arts in ancient, traditional and ceremonial healing practices. Ritual, animism and archetypal symbols are recurring themes in her work.
Rachael completed an MA in Art Psychotherapy in Cork and has worked in Northern Ireland for over 20 years as an exhibiting artist and HCPC-registered Art Psychotherapist.
Recent exhibitions include the Clinton Gallery, Enniskillen; the Red Stables Gallery, Dublin; and the Laneway Gallery, Cork. She is a member of Visual Artists Ireland (VAI).
“PAREIDOLIA is the human tendency to seek meaning in elusive imagery. I never know in advance what I’m going to paint. I apply, rearrange, remove and reapply layers of colour and texture with no direction in mind until a particular curve or colour resonates with something forgotten, hidden or lost. Emerging from sensory memory to find familiar form in the visual world, an inscape is alive with agency and inhabited by shapeshifters.”
Speaking at the exhibition’s launch, Cllr Shirley Hawkes, Vice-Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District, said;
“We were delighted to welcome Rachael Johnson to Omagh and to see such a warm response at the launch of Pareidolia.
This beautifully layered exhibition brings together new work with a compelling selection of paintings spanning her career, and we encourage visitors to experience it at Strule Art Gallery during its run.”
This exhibition is included in the Mental Health Arts Festival N.I. 2026 programme, which runs from 8 – 15 May across Northern Ireland. The exhibition is open 9.30am – 5pm, Monday – Saturday. Admission is free.
If you require any further information or about Strule Arts Centre programme of entertainment log on to www.struleartscentre.co.uk or contact 028 8224 7831, email: strulearts@fermanaghomagh.com
