ABOUT THE ARTIST

Deirdre studied Fine Art at Belfast College of Art and Design before a long teaching career as Head of Art and Design at one of Northern Ireland’s leading grammar schools.  After a change of direction she used her creative skills and background working for herself, and private and business clients, as a project manager and interior designer, focussing on property refurbishment and development.  The visual language and skill set used in these different career strands cemented and reinforced her desire once again to work solely in the discipline of fine art and in particular through the medium of oils and acrylics. In short, she knew she wanted to paint. 

Deirdre has an inherent love of the outdoors and spends as much time as possible experiencing and absorbing the stunning dramatic landscape of her native Ireland, with all its nuances. She is never without a camera and sketchbook.  The colours and moods of the dramatic unspoilt natural beauty of the Island of Ireland, sometimes observed closely, but often seen in distant lonely vistas are what inform her work.

She is an artist who works from her studio which looks out on an outstandingly beautiful stretch of coastline in the north of Ireland.  From it she is constantly aware of the ever-changing moods of sky, sea and land. This is the reason why water features in so much of her work.... “I literally spend my life looking at it”.  In Deirdre’s words, “I was taught ‘paint what you know’ which is what I strive to do.  My feeling that painting is good for the soul applies both to myself as an artist and, I would hope, extends to the person who ultimately buys and lives with my painting in their home.”  Deirdre’s work has been exhibited and sold in Ireland and beyond.