Deirdre Crowley
Deirdre Crowley was born in Bandon, Co.Cork in 1966. In 1988 she graduated from the National College of Art and Design, Dublin, with an Honours Degree in Fine Art."The work for this exhibition is as a result of my preoccupation with the life and energy of the place where I live - West Cork. The sea is a constant source of inspiration, it's movement, sound, power and ever-changing nature, which never looks the same, inspires me daily. Fields and their quirky patterns and shapes dominate much of West Cork, where sheds and farm buildings dapple the landscape in between all that green! Everywhere I look from my house in Kilbrittan is a painting - it's hard to decide what aspects of the place to pick sometimes, like a child in a sweetshop I can safely say no matter where I walk or drive within a twenty mile radius, I am completely 'spoiled for choice'.
The places in my work are special to me, but it's the feeling and mood of a place that becomes ingrained in my mind, so when I'm in my studio working it's easy to call up the visual and spiritual feeling from the places I love. Everything in life is momentary and transient and I try to grasp what I can and seize the day, the moment, the essence of the place in everything I create."
In 1996, she was prizewinner in the "Young Belfast Contemporaries Competition". In 1999 she was selected from entries from all over the UK to be one of six artists published in the Laing Landscape 2000 Calender in association with the Laing Exhibition at the Mall Galleries, London.
Her work is included in many notable private collections throughout Ireland, the UK, USA, Germany and Belgium. Her work is also included in the Art Collections of Ulster Bank, the Department of Finance, D.O.E and Laing Construction.
The Irish Landscape and music are a constant source of inspiration. She continues to work her ideas through paint, pastel and print in her studio and exhibits with Galleries throughout Ireland and the US.
She is also a visiting artist to schools and youth groups with Northern Ireland Arts Council, Creative Youth Partnership, Northern Ireland. (CYPNI)
| 1983-1987 | Educated at Crawford Municipal College of Art and Design, Cork. Diploma in Fine Art - Painting |
| 1986 | Attended Gray's College of Art, Aberdeen, Scotland on the Erasmus Exchange Scheme. |
| 1987-1988 | National College of Art and Design, Dublin. Hons Degree in Fine Art - Painting. |
| 1990 - Mar - May | Artist in Residence at Armagh College of Further Education, Northern Ireland. Tyrone Guthrie Centre, Annaghmakerrig, Co. Monaghan. |
| 1991 Sep - Oct | Artist in Residence, Claremorris Open Art Exhibition, Co. Mayo |
| 1991 Nov - 1992 Mar | Artist in Residence, Young EV-A, Limerick. |
| 1993 - 2004 | Visiting Artist to schools in Northern Ireland. Part-time Lecturer on Art and Design Courses for the Southern Education and Library Board, Northern Ireland. |
| 1994 - 2004 | Part-time lecturer at Armagh College of FE, Northern Ireland. |
Selected Exhibitions |
|
| June 1987 | Diploma Show at Crawford College of Art and Design. SADE, Crawford Municipal Art Gallery, Cork |
| June 1988 | One of four West Coast Artists at Forresters Gallery, Bandon, Co. Cork |
| Sept 1988 | EVA Exhibition, Limerick |
| June 1989 | One Woman Show for Kinsale Arts Week |
| July 1989 | One of five Artists at Forresters 1991 Gallery, Bandon, Co. Cork |
| May 1990 | Artist in Residence Exhibition at Armagh College of Further Education |
| June 1990 | One Woman Show for Kinsale Arts Week New Contemporaries Exhibition, Triskel Arts Centre, Cork One Woman Show, Kinsale |
| April 1992 | Samlaoicht Ciarria, Wall Spring Art Gallery, Tralee, Co. Kerry |
| June 1992 | One Woman Show, Kinsale Arts Week, Kinsale |
| May 1993 | Monaghan Open Art Exhibition, Monaghan Museum |
| June 1993 | Cork City Artists Exhibition, Crawford Gallery, Co. Cork |
| June 1994 | "Angel Fish" Solo Exhibition, St. Patrick's Trian, Armagh |
| July 1994 | Summer Fantazia Guinness Gallery, Dublin |
| Nov 1995 | Recent paintings by Deirdre Crowley, St. Patrick's Trian, Armagh. |
| 1995 | Laing Landscape Art, Malone House, Belfast. |
| April 1996 | Oxford Street Gallery, Belfast Jorgensen Fine Art Gallery, Dublin |
| June 1996 | Roscoffs, Belfast Solo Exhibition. Young Belfast Contemporaries, 1 Oxford Street Gallery, Belfast (Prizewinner) |
| Oct 1996 | R.U.A Exhibition, Ulster Museum, Belfast Cricket Hall Associates, New York, USA Small Works Exhibition, Ulster Arts Club Tristann Gallery, Solo Exhibition, Dundalk |
| Dec 1997 | Solmon Gallery, Dublin. |
| 1997 | Laing Landscape Exhibition, Malone House, Belfast |
| April 1997 | Solo Exhibition, West Cork Arts Centre, Skibereen, Co.Cork |
| April 1998 | "Wonder Woman" Art House, San Francisco, USA Laing Landscape, Mall Galleries, London |
| July 1998 | Solmon Gallery, Dublin "Above and Beyond the Sofa" Art Haus at Roche Bobois, San Francisco |
| Aug 1998 | Jorgensen Gallery, Dublin "The Heat" Art Haus, San Francisco |
| Nov 1998 | Industria Art, Dublin |
| April 1999 | Mall Galleries, London "Laing Landscapes" |
| Dec 1999 | Elaine Somers, Hollywood, Co. Down |
| Jan 2000 | Laing Landscape Calender 2000, UK |
| April 2000 | Elaine Somers, Hollywood, Co. Down Art Collector Inishannon, Co. Cork |
| June 2000 | Jorgensen Gallery, Summer show, Dublin |
| July 2000 | "Panorams", Art Haus, San Francisco, USA Kerlin Gallery, Belfast Hallward Summer Show, Dublin |
| Sept 2000 | The Irish Contemporary Exhibition, The Townhouse Gallery, Belfast |
| Oct 2000 | Bass Contemporary Art Awards, Flowerfield Arts Centre, Portstewart, Co. Antrim |
| Nov 2000 | Kerlin Gallery, Belfast Taylor Gallery, Belfast Elaine Somers, Holywood, Co. Down Studio Forty Nine, Contemporary Irish Art, Belfast |
| Mar 2001 | The Hunter Gallery, Suffolk Taylor Gallery, Belfast |
| Sept 2001 | R.U.A, Belfast |
| June 2002 | Kenny Gallery, Galway |
| Sept 2002 | United Artists Exhibtion, Westminster Abbey, London |
| Aug 2003 | Adam Auctioneers, Dublin Metraton Gallery, Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow |
| Dec 2003 | Art Haus, San Francisco, USA Elaine Somers, Belfast |
| July 2004 | Gate Gallery, Skibereen |
| Dec 2004 | Elaine Sommers, Belfast Taylor Gallery, Belfast |
| Jan 2005 | The Warren Gallery, Mary Ann's, Gresham Hotel, Dublin Gallery M, Co. Armagh |
| April 2005 | Miriam Bailey Gallery, Bandon, Co. Cork - Solo Exhibition |
| June 2006 | Listowel Writers Week |
| July 2006 | Touring Exhibition, OPW |
| Feb 2007 | Solo "Fieldworks", Origin Gallery, Dublin |
| April 2007 | M. Bailey Gallery, Bandon, Co.Cork |