Collection: Michael McGuire

I was born in Sneem, Co Kerry in 1956, but spent most of my childhood and formative years in the Killarney area. While interested in drawing and painting from early childhood, I really only began to have some commercial success in the 1980’s. Around that time, I focused mainly on landscapes of the rugged coastline of Co Kerry and other West of Ireland scenes. In the 1980s and 1990s, I exhibited in galleries such as Kenny’s (Galway), the Frank Lewis Gallery (Killarney) and the Oisin Gallery (Dublin). 

I moved to Wexford in 1999 and, around that time, developed an interest in working outdoors or "en plein air". There followed some intensive workshops in Fair Oaks, California with plein-air artist Susan Sarback and shortly afterwards, I quit my job to concentrate on painting and have worked as a full-time artist since 2007. 

While I have diversified into portrait and figurative work, my main interest is still very much grounded in landscape. The main characteristics of my work are:-

- immediate impact, because of a strong sense of visual reality,

- clear sense of authentic light, whether direct (sunny) or diffuse (cloudy),

- strong sense of feeling and emotion, because when working en plein air, all of one's senses are involved and

- a strong sense of visual focus because of varied brushwork and handling (I try to lead to viewer's eye to where I want it to go and to what attracted me to the scene in the first place).

Since childhood, I have had a deep connection with nature and am still drawn to wild, remote places. But, increasingly, I find myself being drawn to the challenge of finding beauty in ordinary subject matter.

Biography

2007                         Solo Exhibition, Art Upstairs Gallery, Wexford

2008                         Solo Exhibition, Art Upstairs Gallery, Wexford

2013, 14 & 15          Group Exhibition, Denis Collins Gallery during Wexford Opera Festival

2014                         People's Prize, Art in the Open Festival, Wexford

2014                         People's Prize, Plein Air Berlin-Brandenburg

2015                         People's Prize and Best Landscape, Plein Air Berlin-Brandenburg

2016                         Special Commendation, Plein Air Berlin-Brandenburg

2016                         Wexford Opera Festival Exhibition (Denis Collins Gallery)

2016                         Artsource, RDS Dublin

2016                         Wexford Opera Festival Exhibition (Denis Collins Gallery)

2017                         Artsource, RDS Dublin

2018                         Wexford Opera Festival Exhibition (Denis Collins Gallery)

2018                         Artsource, RDS Dublin

2019   Artsource, RDS Dublin