About Us

Naniken Studio – Creating and Sharing a Sense of Place
We are Barry McAdam and Sinéad Woods, husband and wife, and the founders of Naniken Studio. We share a passion for capturing a sense of place—whether it's the wildlife that fills Sinéad’s designs or the unique perspectives Barry brings to familiar landscapes and landmarks. Much of our work is inspired by local Dublin landscapes, from Dublin Bay’s unique landmarks to the green spaces of St. Anne’s Park, Phoenix Park, and the Botanic Gardens. We also spend a lot of time in Fermanagh, where Barry grew up, and he has created many pieces inspired by Lough Erne and his hometown, Enniskillen.

At Naniken Studio, we combine our distinct styles to offer dynamic original artwork, limited edition prints, and greeting cards. Barry’s water colours highlight local landmarks through unusual perspectives, while Sinéad's work also includes hand printing techniques, such as lino printing and intaglio, alongside her pen and digital illustrations. Together, we create vibrant interpretations of Ireland’s landscapes and nature.

Meet the artists

Barry McAdam

Many of my pieces reflect a love of that moment when light, colour or composition capture my imagination.  I draw a lot of inspiration from my hometown, Enniskillen and County Fermanagh. The light, water, atmosphere and pace of life have captured my imagination for many years and I expect that they will for many more to come.  I am always thinking of the next way I can capture big sunsets reflecting across the county on summer evenings over the ever present Lough Erne.  I also love flying around Enniskillen in my head imagining a combination of buildings that could compose a view and how I can take on the challenge of capturing it in a way that resonates.

Living in Dublin gives me a rich tapestry to work from.  The cityscape gives me the opportunity to capture new perspectives on scenes from a quick outdoor sketch of someone standing at a traffic light to a view that encompasses Dublin bay.  Combining this love of perspective with vibrant colours and a style that lets the excitement explode and flow across the page gives me the opportunity to bring a unique sense of place to the viewer.   

Sinéad Woods

After graduating from the National College of Art and Design I have spent many years creating commissioned design work, illustrations and animations.  

I have developed my illustration style using a mix of pen and digital techniques inspired by vibrant urban nature and landscape around me in Dublin. I play with scale and perspective, creating whimsical scenes where animals take on a larger-than-life presence amidst their urban surroundings

Having grown up in Clontarf I draw a lot of my creative inspiration from my local natural environment and the water's edge in Clontarf and St. Anne's Park and the many animals and birds that live there.  From the heron who stands in the pond in St. Anne's, so still and beautiful, to the geese flying over Dollymount, I love the way their little home patches can be so remarkable to us. 

I love the interplay between our built environment and the natural environment and the narrative with its inhabitants.  These include the Herbert Simms bathing shelters that vibrantly dot the seafront along Clontarf and the magical follies and trees in St. Anne's Park.  The happy moment that captures the spirit of the animal as you glance at it in front of a beautiful or magical place is something that really appeals to me.

I like to combine hand drawn and digital techniques and play around with interesting compositions and colour palettes.  I also like to work with lino-cutting and hand-printing techniques which give a unique look and there's nothing like the reveal of a handprint.  My pieces usually start of as an idea of the narrative between a place and an inhabitant.  I will usually take a lot of photos, including details I like such as particular leaves or plants.  Working with sketches first I will create a composition I like, simplifying scenes and including shapes and elements to create the essence of a place. I like to use a minimal colour palette with strong complementing colours that give my illustrations their unique look.

Find out lots more about Sinéad's illustration, design and printmaking on her website, including work in progress photos  www.sineadwoods.com