Artist of the Month - Conor McGuire

Conor McGuire was born in the west of Ireland and has chosen to live there as his influences are taken from the local rural landscape and townscape. His technique can vary from realism to abstract depending on the subject, but he finds his artistic home to be in an impressionistic impasto technique. He loves the quality and light in the west of Ireland and the shifting transience it brings to the subject matter. He likes subjects that are timeless and speak to the viewer without requiring them to be political or analytical. To his viewer Conor hopes they get some sense of the quirky essence that makes the west of Ireland life so special…..a sense of the timelessness of the place, its friendliness and beauty.

The type of medium he uses depends on the type of painting he is working on; for landscape and townscape he uses oils and then acrylics for abstract work. He favors lush textured brush strokes, allowing the paint to convey and suggest form and detail. He does however `go in` and add detail with a sable brush but tries to keep it light and unlabored.

Conor avoids being overtly political or attempting social commentary but he hopes to convey a sense of joy of being alive and living a full life in a unique and beautiful place.

“I hope the strong cultural identity of a place like Galway will survive the constant pressure of modern living and there will always be that local Galway feel to the city and environs.”

“I love the impressionists and expressionists but will always admire a technically well produced piece of work regardless of what school of painting it might lay claim to.”