Cormac O'Leary

Cormac O'Leary was born in Cork and grew up in Sligo. "I was very lucky, I grew up in a house that was full of paintings and artists. I was always drawing as a child, and just continued doing it". His father John was a distinguished painter and a charismatic teacher, and was a major influence. Cormac graduated with a diploma in fine art from Sligo RTC, and then lived in Spain for a time. He worked in Sligo Art Gallery before devoting himself to painting full time.

His father's great lesson... "Drawing is the basis for everything. You should produce a drawing a day" is still adhered to. He works primarily in oils and his reputation is growing. "I enjoy the abstract quality of paint and I work in layers. I am conscious of when it is complete as I know how easy it is to overdo it, not knowing when to stop - if you do that you lose the spontaneity and it becomes overworked. I may look at a piece that is not my favourite and try to work out what I did wrong, but I cannot often work back - it is all to do with what comes out when that image begins to take over".

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Born in Cork City in 1969

ART EDUCATION
	Sligo Institute of Technology; One year Certificate in Visual Education - 1988 National Diploma in Fine Art ( Painting and Print) - 1988 - 91
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2004	New Paintings, Vangard Gallery, Cork
2000	Dream Fields, Clotworthy Arts Centre, Antrim
1999	The Edge of the City, Hallward Gallery, Dublin Night Crossing, Sligo Art Gallery
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2000	New Paintings, West Cork Arts Centre, Skibereen Aer Rianta 'Gateway to Art', Dublin Airport Works on Paper, Le Moyne Art Foundation, Tallahasee, Florida, USA
1999	A Salute to the New Millennium, Sligo Art Gallery Christmas Show, Hallward Gallery, Dublin Christmas Show, Lavit Gallery, Cork Summer Show, Hallward Gallery, Dublin Coast to Coast, Lavit Gallery, Cork
1998	On Board, Sligo Art Gallery A Platter of Art, Lavit Gallery, Cork
1997	Works on Paper, The Cat & the Moon, Sligo Outlines, The Market House, Monaghan Town Masks at the Hawkswell, Hawkswell Theatre, Sligo
1996	Watercolours, Sligo Art Gallery Works based on the writing of Dermot Healy, The Factory Performance Space, Sligo 1,2,3 O'Leary, Carroll's Art Gallery, Longford
1995	Strands, Monaghan County Museum and Art Gallery Generations, The Rubicon Gallery, Dublin
1994	Monaghan Open Exhibition
1993	Three of a Kind, McCanny Building, Sligo Drawings, Sligo Art Gallery
1992	Christmas Show, Model Arts Centre, Sligo Beginnings, Sligo Park Hotel
1991	Diploma Show, Sligo Art Gallery Group Six, Sligo Art Gallery
1990/91/93	Iontas, National Small Works Exhibition, Sligo Art Gallery
1994/96/99	(Toured to Dublin, Belfast, Limerick & Derry)
1990/91/94	Claremorris Open Exhibition, Mayo
1990 - 99	North Western Artists, Sligo Art Gallery (Annually)
AWARDS
	Artist' Residency, Cill Rialaig Artists' Retreat, Co. Kerry - 1999 Studio Residency, Triskel Arts Centre, Cork - 1999 Arts Council / An Comhairle Ealaion Grants - 1993 - 94 D. O'Sullivan Graphics's Award for best overall student - 1991