A dark curtain of rain moves through fading ocean sunlight to cover the stately cliff ramparts of north Mayo - the image is conveyed in a work by Ms Margaret O'Sullivan, one of the artists exhibiting throughout August at the Ballinglen Centre in the coastal village of Ballycastle.
The high-calibre summer exhibition, with work by 19 Irish and international artists, is the latest testament to the profound impact being made by the thriving arts project established locally, the Ballinglen Arts Foundation.
This non-profit foundation, a registered charity, was set up specifically to benefit north Mayo by inviting artists from outside the area to spend time working in purpose-built studios in the village and encounter the special landscape and community qualities of the area.
The artists, whose work reflects their individual responses to the people and landscape, had never visited this unique area before.
They have all been strongly influenced by the elemental setting that they found - the soaring cliffs, the vast, windswept bogs, the ever-changing skies and, of course, the character and traditional way of life of the rural community.
The experiment has been devised and administered by two Americans, Ms Margo Dolan and Mr Peter Maxwell, who had a lot of experience running galleries in Philadelphia and New York before they discovered the special qualities of the Ballycastle area and decided to move there.
Many of the 80 artists who have so far tasted "the Ballinglen experience" for periods of from several weeks to three months were already well established and widely known in their own countries and regions.
Resident artists often work voluntarily with local schools - especially with transition year pupils - and increasing numbers of students are opting to specialise in arts subjects.
The visitors get free accommodation, heating and studio space, and in return each leaves a single work created during their time there.
This has resulted to date in a collection of some 150 works which will be part of an ongoing and growing "Ballinglen archive" to be preserved in perpetuity locally.
The founders overcame initial scepticism and daunting financial obstacles to develop the ambitious project. Although it is now supported by the Ireland Funds, the Mayo County Council and Enterprise Board and receives an annual Arts Council grant, it still has to raise funding of up to £30,000 annually "to keep the doors open".
"I believe people who live in Ballycastle now know more about contemporary art and artists than people living in Manhattan," Mr Maxwell comments.
Details of the present exhibition, opening times, and the foundation are available at tel (096) 43184.