About Me
Tadhg McSweeney born 27th February 1936.
Self Taught Artist
Attended National College of Art Kildare st. Dublin 1959-60., and later studied etching, silk screen printing, etc. in London. I paint mainly in oils and watercolour, with occasional fresco work.(studied fresco in Italy 1984-85.)
Am a figurative painter, work includes: landscapes, urbanscapes, seascapes, still-life, portraits, etc. as well as murals (fresco). All my work is of something I've recently experienced - inspiration comes from the environment as I experience it and I prefer to work from memory, using pencil sketches. This method gives me the freedom to express my original vision without being impeded by irrelavent details - I can focus on the essentials of the particular vision and experience. The only exception to this is portraiture as I need to work directly from the subject.
I am interested in exploring the language of painting in itself (in various painting media and print media), in seeking the fullest range of possibilities in that language, and not merely limit oneself to one aspect of that language, such as abstraction or illustration, both valid in themselves, but yet merely aspects of an universal visual language, that includes all possible visual experience. Scale is important to me, each subject "demands" its' own size and scale. A particular theme will not "work" at a different size or scale. Also it seems to me that the seeming banal and trivial is, and can be, as valid a subject as the most profound.
Previous Exhibitons, Awards, etc.
From 1965 onwards: several one-person exhibitions, as well as group shows, including RHA, Oireactas Art Exhibition, Group 65, Independant Artists etc.
1975 - Cork: one person exhibition.
1983 - San Francisco: one person exhibition.
1986 to 1990 - Lived and worked in London: had two one-person exhibitions there in that period.
1990 - Hamburg: one-person exhibition.
1991 - Dublin: one-person exhibition.
1992 - Eigse Carlow: Claremorris Open Exhibition,won special category award at Arnotts Portrait competition.
1996 - Dublin: one-person exhibition.
1999 - Dublin: one-person exhibition.
2000 - Dublin: Art Fair.
2002 - Painted fresco at famine memorial Carrig a'staigre.
2008 - Killarney: one-person exhibition at McBride gallery (18th April-19th May)
2011- Carrigaline,Co,Cork,Ireland.-"Odyssey",-one-person exhibition at the Framemaker gallery,Carrigaline(April20th-7thMay,2011)
2011--Macroom,Co.Cork,Ireland,-"Radharc",-One-person exhibition in Macroom Town Hall(courtesy of Cork Co.Council and Macroom Urban Council),8thJuly-29thJuly.
© TADHG MCSWEENEY,2008. E:tadhgmcsweeney01@eircom.net