Beyond the Bleak Painting

I grew up in Nenagh, County Tipperary and around the time of my leaving cert my family and I relocated to the countryside in County Clare just outside Limerick City. After graduating from Limerick School of Art and Design 1996, I painted on and off over a number of years where ever my personal life would allow. I took up painting full time over 7 years ago at my home studio in Co. Wicklow where I fell in love with and have settled in over the past number of years. I have exhibited in several solo and group shows throughout the years and the highlight of exhibitions so far are being an invited artist to various group shows with Hamilton Gallery, Sligo including Eva Gore Booth, Among School Children, Meditations in Time of Civil War and St. Brigids Day. Some achievements I’ve had are being the winner of the Enlighten 5 artist group initiative 2021 and runner up on multiple other submissions to the same project with Hambly and Hambly Gallery at Dunbar House, Enniskillen. My work has been selected as cover image for the Sligo Music series for 2022 and 2023. I have been awarded artist residency on a couple of occasions at Cill Rialaig, Co. Kerry, 2007 and 2022. My painting style leans towards abstract expressionism and there is an element of the figurative in the work too. My inspirations come from my life experiences past and present, from nature and the wonders of the universe. I began to embrace colour in my work during COVID times and have discovered a true passion for it. This has taken my work through a significantly new direction that I have been embarking upon post pandemic times.