James O'Dwyer

Irish-British Contemporary Abstract Painter Based in Bristol, UK. James O'Dwyer creates bold, layered abstract paintings where texture, gesture, and colour collide. Combining control and chance, they use squeegees, scribes, and brushes to build canvases that are both a record of process and a dynamic, immersive visual experience.

Process-Driven Gestural Abstraction:
Each painting evolves through a process of inscription, erasure, and transformation. By embracing experimentation, O'Dwyer produces works that balance gestural abstraction, materiality, and visual discovery. The surface of every canvas becomes a palimpsest—a history of movement, redaction, chance, and intentional mark-making.

Influences and Inspiration:
Having lived in London, Malmö, Newcastle, and now Bristol, O'Dwyer draws inspiration from urban hinter-landscapes. Earlier series, such as Liminal Landscapes, combined painting, photography, and found objects to explore entropy, memory, and transformation—an exploration that continues to inform his current work.

Exhibitions and Collections:
Exhibited widely across the UK, O'Dwyer's work is held in private and public collections in Europe, the UAE, and the United States. Following a 2022–23 sabbatical from teaching, O...

University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne MA
Erasmus Scholar: Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet, Sweden.

Motley Theatre Design Riverside Hammersmith. Postgraduate Theatre Design

Harrow School of Art (University of Westminster, London) BA Hons 1:1

(PGCE UWE 2009)

Bristol & Bath:
2024 HRE Contemporary Bristol - Group Show
Equinox Bristol Gallery Weekend
2022 RWA Open - Friends selection
2022 CassArt Solo show
Hamilton House Open Studio
2014 Hamilton House, Bristol. group show.
2013 RWA OPEN.
2011 Milsom Place, Bath group.
2009 Paintworks, Bristol group. Severnshed, solo.
2008 Hotwells Gallery, group.
2007 Drawing installation for Station, Bristol.
2005 ALLOY Centrespace Gallery, group.
2003 ‘RETOX’ festival with Jamaica Street Artists.
2001-8 Open Studios at Jamaica Street Artists.

SCA Papers award in 2003,
2005 showcase artist in ‘FIVE’ arts magazine

Previous exhibitions in London include:
Slaughterhouse Gallery, group.
Shad Thames Gallery, solo.
Whitechapel Open Studios.