Syra studied at Hammersmith College of Art London and qualified with
merit in 1972. In 1977 she moved together with her husband Irish Luthier Chris Larkin (RIP 2018) to a small, windswept peninsula known as
The Maharees on the West Coast of Ireland. Where they lived, worked, encouraged, and inspired one another daily.
Syra lived and worked for many years in a caravan fortunately today she works from a purpose-built studio known as Shoreline Studio,
Despite the remote location, Syra developed her career as a professional artist. Taking part in exhibitions in Ireland and abroad.
I have always found it difficult to explain the work that I produce.
I often feel that it is the responsibility of the viewer to look at and interpret the work for themselves. Not to be overly
influenced by artist statements but to go with their gut response.
Every single piece of art will provoke a different response in each human we all view the world differently.
As time passes many aspects of my life are changing and evolving including my art. Once I was captivated by my physical surroundings, the
landscape, the clouds, the light, and just the sheer beauty of the landscape. Now I have become more introspective
and so has my work. My work often reflects a sense of loss.
A Loss can mean many things, it might be the loss of a person or the loss of connection spiritually and emotionally to the world around us.
There is a sense of calm connected to the work, a sense of longing and a sense of renewal.
Maybe as an artist, I am trying to find the balance between beauty and melancholy”
“There is a life and there is a death, and there are beauty and melancholy between.” Albert Camus
