About
The Painter
Born in Fossa, Killarney, O’Connor studied at NCAD, Dublin and the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence and the Istituto Statale D'Arte in Urbino, Italy on Irish and Italian government scholarships. She has exhibited extensively in Ireland at the RHA, EVA, Oireachtas and Iontas as well as arts festivals such as Beara and Smaointe na Sceilge and contemporary galleries such as the Lavit Gallery Cork, the Doswell Gallery, the Hunt Museum, Limerick and the Source Arts Centre, Thurles. Her work has also been exhibited and published in Italy. She was the founder and director of a contemporary commercial arts space in the Ballycasey House Gallery from 1984-1989. Since the 1990s O’Connor has collaborated regularly with Waterville poet Paddy Bushe and her work has also featured in many Dedalus Press publications. She now lives and works from her studio in Dovea, Co. Tipperary.
Awards & Bursaries
Honorary Life Member, National Collection of Contemporary Drawing (NCCD), Limerick City Gallery
Artist in Residence, 1987/88, St. Patrick’s Comprehensive, Shannon, Co. Clare. (Arts Council Funded)
Artist in Residence, 1988/89, Clare Country Artist in Residence (Arts Council and Clare County Council Funded)
Tre Artisti Irlandesi 1991, Travel Bursary to the Irish Italian Exhibition, Milan
Frankfurt Book Fair 1996, Arts Council travel bursary promoting and launching 'To Make The Stone Sing' by Dedalus Press. Ireland was the featured country in 1996.
Selected Exhibitions
2023: Curator’s Choice, Hunt Museum, Limerick
2022: Members Exhibition, Lavit Gallery, Cork
2019: St John's Theatre, Listowel - solo exhibition
2018: Éigse na Gréine Amergin Solstice Poetry Festival, Waterville
2018: Listowel Visual Arts Week Juried Show.
2016: December Group Show, Damer House Gallery, Roscrea.
2015: Limerick Printmakers 10th Annual Exhibition, Limerick.
2013 : 50th Anniversary Members Annual Exhibition, Lavit Gallery, Cork.
2012 : KRF2: Artists Notebook Project, Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge, Kildare.
2012 : RHA Annual Exhibition, RHA, Ely Place, Dublin 2.
2012 : New Artists, Greenlane Gallery, Dingle, Co. Kerry.
2011 : New paintings and drawings, Tipperary Institute in Thurles, Solo show
2010 : Paintings, Templemore Library, Co. Tipperary, Solo show
2010 : Something Eclectic, Tipperary Institute, Thurles campus.
2009 : Éigse Carlow Open Exhibition. Curated by Marie Hanlon.
2008 : Styles, new work with Laura Vecchi, Catherine Corcoran and Cormac O'Neill, the Russell Gallery, New Quay, Burrin, Co. Clare
2007 : Presence, an exhibition of leading Irish artists associated with Limerick, Limerick City Gallery of Art curated by Mike Fitzpatrick, Director.
2007 : Solstice Arts, Tech Amergin, Waterville, Co. Kerry. Curated by Helen Richmond.
2006 : December Exhibition, Source Arts Centre, Thurles. Open submission
2006 : Inaugural Show, Source Arts Centre, Thurles. Curated by Ruairi O'Cuiv
2005 : Hunt Museum with Brenda Andrews and Maurice Quillinan, Limerick.
2005 : Kennedy Gallery, Dublin, Solo show
2003 : Doswell Gallery with Dietrich Blodau & Des MacMahon, Limerick
2003 : The Lavit Gallery with Martin Finnin, Margaret Fitzgibbon, Bridget Flannery & Catherine Greene, Cork
2002 : CASE 2002, Lavit Gallery, Cork
2001 : Smaointe na Sceilge, Kerry Arts
2001 : Touching The Dark, Blennerville Arts, Tralee
2000 : CASE 2000, Lavit Gallery, Cork
2000 : Profile 7, Siamsa Tire Art Centre, Tralee
1999 : Iontas, Sligo, Limerick, Belfast
1999 : Paintings from Cill Rialaig, National Museum, Collins Barracks, Dublin
1999 : Sceilg Michil Paintings, Cill Rialaig Gallery, Ballinskelligs
1998 : Irish Artists, Soar Gallery, London. Curated by Norrie Buxton.
1998 : Beara Arts Festival, Castletownbere (Invited Artist)
1998 : RHA, Dublin
1997 : Bourn Vincent Gallery, University of Limerick. The exhibition THE SELF: MIRROR and METAPHOR curated by Paul O’Reilly, Director of Limerick City Gallery who selected 20 self-portraits by contemporary artists from The National Self-Portrait Collection in the University and placed each alongside another work by the same artist. This show allowed the viewer to compare how artists respond to external realities with their responses to the challenge of representing themselves and he leaves the viewer to wonder if the artist’s personality is better revealed in work other than the formal self-portrait.
1995 : To Make the Stone Sing. St. John's Art Centre, Listowel Writers' Week. Opened by Maire Mhac an tSaoi.
1993 : Watercolour Society Permanent Collection, University of Limerick
1993 : Samhlaiocht Chiarrai, South West Artists, Siamsa Tire, Tralee
1991 : Logos '91, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Contemporanea, Padova, Italy
1991 : Tre Artisti Irlandesi, Circolo Culturale Bertolt Brect, Milan
1990 : Literary Portraits, Kenny Art Gallery, Galway
1989 : The Elements, De Valera Library, Ennis, Solo show
1988 : EVA, Limerick, Adjudicators: Florent Bex, Director Museum Van Hedendaagse Kunst, Antwerpen & Alexander Rozhin, Moscow.
1988 : Armada Paintings, Ennis Arts Festival, Ennis, marking the 400th anniversary of the Spanish Armada. Opened by Spanish Ambassador to Ireland, José Antonio de Yturriaga Barberán
1988 : National Self Portrait Collection at the National Gallery of Ireland; permanently on show at the Bourn Vincent Gallery, University of Limerick
1988 : Irish Artists, Tahlinn, Estonia. Exhibition organised by the Centre for International Co-operation, Shannon
1986 : Gallery at the Wells, Merriman Summer School, Lisdoonvarna. Exhibition presented by the painter for Ballycasey House Gallery, Shannon
1985 : Midsummer, Ballycasey House Gallery, Shannon with Paul Funge, Charlie Harper, Paul O'Reilly, Tom Fitzgerald, Vivienne Bogan, John Shinnors and Sam Walsh.
1984 - 2003 : Watercolour Society of Ireland, RHA Gallery, Dublin
1985 : The New Generation: Mike Fitzpatrick and Denis Farrell. Exhibition curated by the painter for Ballycasey House Gallery, Shannon
1981, 1985 : Claremorris Open, Ireland
1981, 1982, 1988, 2000 : Oireachtas, Dublin
1980 : EVA, Limerick, Adjudicator: Brian O'Doherty (USA)
1979 : Exhibition of Visual Art (EVA), Limerick. Adjudicator: Sandy Nairn, Assistant Keeper, Modern Collection, Tate Gallery London
1979 : Shinnors, O’Connor, Gemmell, Limerick
1970 : Bottega Giovanni Santi Gallery, Urbino, Italy, Solo show
1969 : Biennale Del Aquarello, Montecattini Terme, Italy
1969 : Galleria Casa Rafaello, Urbino, Italy, Solo show (as pictured)
1969 : Exhibition of Living Art, Dublin
1967 : Brown Thomas Gallery, under the directorship of Amanda Douglas, Solo show
1967 : Colletiva Internazionale, Palazzo Strozzi, Florence. Curated by Signorina Antinori.
1967 : Due Donne, with Renate Malina, Florence/Vienna
1965 : International Graphics, Municipal Gallery Dublin