Ireland’s coast is a central focus for Limerick-born artist Donald Teskey …
What do you enjoy most about what you do? The whole process of making art – being in my studio as well as out in the landscape – finding ways to interpret the world around me, and translating what I see into line, form, texture and colour. I enjoy the balance between work and life, and the friendship and camaraderie of fellow artists. Each of us pursues our own path, exploring diverse processes. I enjoy being part of this global artistic community driven by enquiry and creativity.
Woodland III
Where are some of your favourite locations to paint? I’ve learned to balance the immediacy of working en plein air with studio painting, where larger canvases are realised. I work on themes inspired by particular locations for extended periods, developing them into series of paintings. Locations that have been most rewarding for me include the west coast of Ireland – Mayo, West Cork, and Kerry – as well as the River Dodder in Dublin. Further afield, I’ve also enjoyed painting in Paris and the US.
‘Tullaghan Bay’
As the latest artist in residence at Ballyfin in Co Laois, where guests can witness your creative process, do you have a plan of what you would like to paint? I rarely begin with a fixed plan. For me, it’s about walking the grounds, observing, and allowing the particular qualities of the place to suggest themselves. Ballyfin has such a rich sense of history and setting, and I want to spend time absorbing that before committing anything to canvas. The changing of the seasons is one of my favourite times of the year. So rather than beginning with a predetermined idea, it’s the interaction of light with the landscape and the atmosphere on a given day that dictates what emerges.
‘Isolated 2025’
What the inspiration behind your next exhibition? I have a show opening in April 2026 at 92Y in New York. The work centres on forest and woodland subjects – places where complexity, density and rhythm create their own kind of order. It is as much about the richness of the ecology as it is about the act of painting: about finding structure in apparent chaos. The exhibition brings together oils on canvas and acrylics on paper, with each medium offering a different register of response to the same terrain.
‘Woodland VII’
Is it hard to let go of certain paintings once complete? It is vital for an artist to put their best work out there and make it available. This stimulates the desire to keep developing as an artist. There are times when I make paintings that are transitional, possibly marking a turning point in the evolution of my practice. These might not be immediately sellable but can be important in the development of my process, so I like to hold on to them.
