Eilbhe Donovan

I work from my garden studio in the picturesque South West of Ireland.
My subject is wildlife, but in a contemporary minimalist style.

I endeavour to capture the essence and soul of the animal I am portraying, shaking off superfluous detail to expose a faint imprint of that creature - a shadow that encapsulates their core being in as few lines, shades, and tones as possible. I like to leave some of the image for the eye and brain to configure, sometimes creating an unintended abstraction.
To make minimal, one has to begin with excess.

I achieve this by visiting reserves and marine environments to sketch, photograph, record and observe.
All image sources are my own.

I work with ink on cotton paper.
Paintings are using natural hair Chinese ink brushes, painting with water before applying ink. I love watching the ink meander through the water of its own accord - it affords the work a life of it's own - a randomness I like as I can't really control it.
The paper is very specific. Sustainably sourced from England on a 10m roll, this large format means the work can be sized exactly. None of my pieces are the same size - the image and the subject dictates the format and size of the work. Working initially within a far ...

2009-2010 Post Graduate Diploma in Education for
Art, Craft & Design, Crawford College of
Art & Design, Cork
2003-2004 BA(Hons) Art & Design
West Wales School of the Arts,
Carmarthan, Wales, UK
2001-2003 HND Multimedia, BIFE, Bray, Co. Wicklow,
Ireland
1993-1994 NCVA Art, Craft & Design
Grennan Mill Craft School, Thomastown,
Co. Kilkenny, Ireland

2021 HanseArt Kunstmesse, MuK Lübeck, Schleswig
Holstein, Germany
Art Nordic, Lokomotice Copenhagen
ArtSource, RDS, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, Ireland
2020 HanseArt Kunstmesse, MuK Lübeck, Schleswig
Holstein, Germany - CANCELLED
Art Nordic, Lokomotice Copenhagen -
CANCELLED
The Space Gallery, Corrundulla, Galway,
Ireland - CANCELLED
The Grey Heron, Bridge Street, Bandon, Co.
Cork, Ireland
BAN Annual Show, Studio 12, First Floor
Backwater Artist Group, Wandesford Quay,
Cork
2019 Glasgow Contemporary Art Fair, Kelvingrove
Art Gallery & Museum, Glasgow, UK
“Flights of Fancy”, Cronin’s of Crosshaven,
Crosshaven, Co. Cork
Two-person show, The Ivy House,
Drumcondra, Dublin
MAG Swiss, Montreux, Switzerland
ArtSource, RDS, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4
2018 Winter Exhibition, Group Show, Origin Gallery,
Fitzwilliam St. Dublin 2
Private Commission, West Cork, Ireland
ArtSource, RDS, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4
2017 ArtSource, RDS, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4
Group Show, West Cork Cr...