The Dublin-based artist’s new exhibition is informed by her travels to exotic places that left a lasting imprint on her artistic practice…
‘A Cyclical Tryptich,’ by Mary O’Connor
Who or what kickstarted your interest in art?
It’s all I ever wanted to do. The Wexford Opera Festival was a significant influence for me growing up. When I was a teenager I worked backstage, starting in the summer, helping making the props and building the sets, with the local volunteers then slowly all the experienced people arrived from overseas, the stage-hands, designers, singers, the orchestra, (they seemed so exotic) and we helped behind stage with all the performances.
I grew up in a household where the arts and opera were appreciated. My parents’ belief in me as an artist is something that has carried me through life, and I am where I am today because of their support. There were six of us kids, and our home was a bit of organised chaos. We were largely left to our own devices. We had a big house and garden, and we would use anything and everything we could find to make things. We built a large wooden stage, and spent hours painting sets, creating props, and producing our own plays.
I vividly remember the day a set of encyclopaedias arrived at our house. I became completely absorbed in the one dedicated to crafts. I must have tried every single project in that book.
My parents were both professionals. My grandmother, Mary ‘Mollie’ Dillon Leetch, was the third woman called to the Irish Bar in 1923, and her trailblazing example was a constant announcement to us. There was a prevailing attitude in our home that if she could do it, so could we, and while it took me a while to figure out exactly how to channel that drive, my grandmother has always been a guiding force in my life.
‘Retro,’ by Mary O’Connor
Where did you study and why were you drawn to colourful abstract paintings/murals and screen prints?
TU Dublin was formerly the College of Marketing and Design. I did a foundation year there, when it was located in the basement of what is now Chapter One restaurant. It was a very creative course, buzzing with atmosphere, and we did a bit of everything, which still stands to me today. Then I moved into the Environmental Design course and my preferred subject was silkscreen printing followed by woodwork. On graduation I won a residency award for Kilkenny Design Centre and spent a year in Butler House, Kilkenny. It was a tremendous experience working with so many great designers and in an incredible setting.
Following that I moved to London, where I worked as a commercial interior designer. At Chelsea College of Art, I studied traditional oil painting part time for one year. Then I moved to New Zealand where I found the art world was an esoteric mix of the English tradition and Pacific Islands culture. My first encounter with abstraction was in New Zealand. This was a transformative time and the experience continues to inform my work. I also moved to Belize where the Caribbean sea and lush jungle brought a new richness to my palette, while Kazakhstan’s snow-covered mountains and harsh winters offered a dramatic contrast that has left a lasting imprint on my practice.
‘Paintbox II,’ by Mary O’Connor
Where and how do you work?
I work in my own studio as well as spending one day a week in The Black Church Print Studio in Temple Bar. My work is process-based as one idea leads to the next. Central to my practice is how colour, form, shape and scale comes together to occupy the space. I don’t so much compose the work, it composes itself. It’s a very intuitive way of working where the canvas throws back options and puzzles to be solved; it doesn’t always work out and when it does there is a sense of triumph.
During lockdown, like so many others, I had to work from home. As a visual artist who works in large-scale prints and paintings this meant having to rethink my process and the outputs of my practice. I began to routinely produce paintings on small gesso panels. As a result of photographing them on their sides they became sculptural stacks. This has been a pivotal point in my career – as a largely 2D based artist.
‘Limelight IV,’ by Mary O’Connor
Tell us about “Ten”, your new exhibition at SO Fine Art Editions?
This year marks ten years since I repatriated to Ireland after all my wanderings overseas, from London to New Zealand and Belize and eleven years in Kazakhstan. It’s a personal reflection as all these countries have influenced my work. However my practice has thrived since coming back to Ireland and being part of the vibrant visual arts scene here.
The SO Fine Art Gallery is an exquisite space with its period ceiling and extravagant Georgian woodwork. I will show a selection of large and small-scale paintings, silkscreen prints and some sculpture pieces. This body of work represents two years of concentrated effort. I am very excited to see how everything looks in situation.
‘Small Block 1,’ by Mary O’Connor
How has your work evolved would you say?
My visual arts practice has transformed over time, rooted in a process-driven approach where one piece informs the next. The interplay of colour, form, shape and scale is at the core of my work. My travels have significantly informed my work, moving across countries where the expansive landscapes of New Zealand to the tropical vibrancy of Belize, the stark winters of Kazakhstan and the vast mountainous landscapes I encountered on my travels through the ‘Stans have shaped my practice. Coming back to Ireland has been pivotal with the opportunity to re-engage with silkscreen printing after so many years away. More recently, my practice shifted with a development into sculptural pieces when I had to adapt to working from a smaller space. The constant change in my life has fuelled a curiosity and keeps pushing me to explore new ideas and techniques.
‘Middle Earth,’ by Mary O’Connor
Do you have any favourite images from the new exhibition?
The starting point was ‘Middle Earth’. I revisited a series of silkscreen prints from ten years ago. I love this print because of the accidental way that it came about – I am interested in the unexpected, and surprise and chance are an important part of my practice. There is a small painting that resonates after a recent hike up Lugnaquilla. “Limelight III” and “IV” are part of a series that recently received a very favourable review in London. I am looking forward to progressing these in larger scale. A number of pieces were made during and following a recent residency in Ballinglen Arts Foundation and Museum, Ballycastle, Co Mayo – these evoke memories of a fruitful experience.
Need to Know: “Ten” by Mary O’Connor opens on August 31 at SO Fine Art Editions, 2nd Floor, Powerscourt Townhouse, 59 South William Street, Dublin 2. The exhibition continues until September 28; www.sofinearteditions.com.
