The Story of the Irish Landscape Artist

'’It’s the west of Ireland landscapes in particular that I’m drawn to. To me, they are what Ireland is all about, and there is an energy and a sense of timelessness in them that I try to get across in my paintings. ’’








Inspiration from the West of Ireland

I'm Padraig McCaul, a devoted landscape artist originally from Dublin but now firmly rooted in Mullingar. While I currently reside in Mullingar with my wife Anne and three children, my connection to Achill Island, Co Mayo, where I spent many formative years honing my artistic vision, remains strong. 

We e moved from Achill Island to Mullingar in 2021, yet my bond with Achill's landscapes continues to inspire me. Although my primary studio is now in Mullingar, my creative heart remains closely intertwined with the West Coast. This dual studio arrangement mirrors my artistic journey, one that embraces the essence of both Achill and Mullingar.

A Journey from Dublin to Achill Island

I've hosted numerous successful exhibitions in Ireland, collaborating with esteemed venues like the Doorway Gallery in Dublin and the Kidogo Arthouse in Fremantle, Australia. I'm also a regular exhibitor at the Affordable Art Fair in London. My artwork gained nationwide recognition when it featured prominently in Eircode's national marketing campaign and website. 

You can find my limited edition prints and fine art cards in over 35 select outlets along the captivating Wild Atlantic Way, including Kennys in Lahinch and Strand House in Dingle. My landscape and figurative paintings are showcased in some of Ireland's finest galleries and are also available for global shipping from my studio.

Fáinne Óir - From Achill Island to Broadway, New York

In 2019, I completed a collection of 20 paintings for stage backdrops for the contemporary dance drama - Fáinne Óir - written by Mayo composer Kathy Fahy, and choreographed by Ciara Sexton, former lead dancer with Riverdance and Lord of the Dance. The show premiered in the Theatre Royal, Castlebar, on September 20th, 2019, and travelled to New York on September 26th, 2019, for its American premiere in Symphony Space, Broadway.

Captivating Landscapes of the Irish West Coast

My paintings are inspired by the untamed landscapes and coastline of Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way. Achill Island, which is located off Ireland’s western seaboard, has had a profound influence on my paintings, which are inspired by the natural beauty and colour of the surrounding landscape. Describing my symbiotic relationship with my adopted home place, I say, ‘’It has everything that a landscape artist would want; there is the sea, the mountains, the rolling bog, and the sky and the light that changes every hour of the day. There is no reason to go beyond it; there is so much here to inspire painting’’.

Conveying Feeling Through Colours

In my paintings, I use primary colours, blues, reds, and crimsons, in broad strokes, to depict houses, roads, farm buildings, and country lanes in simple, uncluttered compositions. My paintings seek to elicit emotion that allows room for the viewer to get lost in the subject. They are not just there, I say, to simply describe the landscape but to stir an emotional response to the feeling of the landscape, to convey the movement, energy, and light around it.

Figurative Work and Family Themes

Beyond depicting the breathtaking wild Irish landscapes, my work has evolved to include more figurative work, primarily based on my family members using very simple spherical but equally colourful figures to denote their characters. The figures have opened up new possibilities to explore colour and emotion, emphasising the warmth of close relationships between family and friends.

Solo Exhibitions of the Landscape Artist in Ireland & Beyond

 

Selected Group Shows

 

Gallery Representation

Collections

Selected media

Education

 

 

Blog

We are delighted to announce Padraig McCaul as the winner of our 2024 Favourite Painting art exhibition and competition.
This is a blog post I wrote back in 2014 about the first workshop I ran on Achill Island. I'm republishing it here, along with some others, to make sure I have them all in one place on my website.
Revisiting an interview I gave to the Mayo News in 2014 about moving to Achill and living and working on the island
Ten years is a long time! In 2013 I gave an interview to James Sweetman for his online e-Zine and Blog. In it we discussed my life before I became a painter and how I made the transition to full time artist. James is a highly-rated and well-respected Executive and Personal Coach, Trainer, Keynote Speaker, Author and Columnist, and he had some great questions. Below is the interview in full..
This is an article I wrote for the US website EmptyEasel.com in 2014. It is a short guide to my own philosophy around making a living as an artist.
In the world of art, few subjects have captured the imagination and creativity of artists as powerfully as landscapes. Here is an article written for the benefit of Google SEO :-)
My new solo exhibition, ‘The Ties That Bind’, opens in the Doorway Gallery, Dublin on July 7th and runs until July 28th. Here is an interview I gave to the Doorway Gallery as part of the social media campaign....
The RTE Nationwide TV programme is now available to view on the RTE Player.
In August this year I got to spend a magical 8 days at the Cill Rialaig artist residency in Co.Kerry
RTE Nationwide visited Achill in May, 2021 to film me in my studio and surroundings and to talk about my work and time on Achill Island
A DAY IN THE LIFE: PADRAIG MCCAUL, 20 APRIL 2021
An insightful, glowing review of Fáinne Óir from author and film producer, Kevin Fortuna.
Fáinne Óir opened to standing ovations in New York and Castlebar. Here is a comprehensive review by the Irish Echo, the oldest and largest selling Irish newspaper in USA.
Composer and conductor Kathy Fahey is bringing an ambitious new music and contemporary dance production to stage
I am absolutely thrilled to let you know about the world premiere of a new music and contemporary dance production, Fáinne Óir, which takes place on September 20th in the Theatre Royal, Castlebar before moving to New York for a performance in the Symphony Space Theatre, Broadway, on September 26th.
I am very excited to have been asked to create a set of new original paintings to be used as the backdrops for a new Irish contemporary music and dance production, Fáinne Óir.
A MAYO artist who is just back from a sell-out exhibition in Australia will be showing his vivid portraits of the Achill landscape at Ireland’s premier art fair Art Source, in the RDS from November 10 to 12. http://www.con-telegraph.ie/news/roundup/articles/2017/11/01/4147921-mayo-artist-in-the-national-spotlight-after-australian-success/
I held my first exhibition in Australia in July this year at the Kidogo Arthouse, Fremantle. It was a great success and turned out to be a complete sell out.
I recently exhibited at the Affordable Art Fair in London with the Doorway Gallery. It's always an exciting fair to be at and this was, I think, my sixth time at the fair. Here's a link to a great review of the show from William McKenzie.
Padraig McCaul paintings to feature in new national Eircode marketing campaign
Summer 2016 is going to be very busy, with paintings workshops, exhibitions and a major national marketing campaign to look forward to.
This is an interview I gave to the Galway Advertiser in the run up to my exhibition at the Townhall Theatre in Galway in March this year.

CV & Statement

 

The Story of the Irish Landscape Artist

'’It’s the west of Ireland landscapes in particular that I’m drawn to. To me, they are what Ireland is all about, and there is an energy and a sense of timelessness in them that I try to get across in my paintings. ’’








Inspiration from the West of Ireland

I'm Padraig McCaul, a devoted landscape artist originally from Dublin but now firmly rooted in Mullingar. While I currently reside in Mullingar with my wife Anne and three children, my connection to Achill Island, Co Mayo, where I spent many formative years honing my artistic vision, remains strong. 

We e moved from Achill Island to Mullingar in 2021, yet my bond with Achill's landscapes continues to inspire me. Although my primary studio is now in Mullingar, my creative heart remains closely intertwined with the West Coast. This dual studio arrangement mirrors my artistic journey, one that embraces the essence of both Achill and Mullingar.

A Journey from Dublin to Achill Island

I've hosted numerous successful exhibitions in Ireland, collaborating with esteemed venues like the Doorway Gallery in Dublin and the Kidogo Arthouse in Fremantle, Australia. I'm also a regular exhibitor at the Affordable Art Fair in London. My artwork gained nationwide recognition when it featured prominently in Eircode's national marketing campaign and website. 

You can find my limited edition prints and fine art cards in over 35 select outlets along the captivating Wild Atlantic Way, including Kennys in Lahinch and Strand House in Dingle. My landscape and figurative paintings are showcased in some of Ireland's finest galleries and are also available for global shipping from my studio.

Fáinne Óir - From Achill Island to Broadway, New York

In 2019, I completed a collection of 20 paintings for stage backdrops for the contemporary dance drama - Fáinne Óir - written by Mayo composer Kathy Fahy, and choreographed by Ciara Sexton, former lead dancer with Riverdance and Lord of the Dance. The show premiered in the Theatre Royal, Castlebar, on September 20th, 2019, and travelled to New York on September 26th, 2019, for its American premiere in Symphony Space, Broadway.

Captivating Landscapes of the Irish West Coast

My paintings are inspired by the untamed landscapes and coastline of Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way. Achill Island, which is located off Ireland’s western seaboard, has had a profound influence on my paintings, which are inspired by the natural beauty and colour of the surrounding landscape. Describing my symbiotic relationship with my adopted home place, I say, ‘’It has everything that a landscape artist would want; there is the sea, the mountains, the rolling bog, and the sky and the light that changes every hour of the day. There is no reason to go beyond it; there is so much here to inspire painting’’.

Conveying Feeling Through Colours

In my paintings, I use primary colours, blues, reds, and crimsons, in broad strokes, to depict houses, roads, farm buildings, and country lanes in simple, uncluttered compositions. My paintings seek to elicit emotion that allows room for the viewer to get lost in the subject. They are not just there, I say, to simply describe the landscape but to stir an emotional response to the feeling of the landscape, to convey the movement, energy, and light around it.

Figurative Work and Family Themes

Beyond depicting the breathtaking wild Irish landscapes, my work has evolved to include more figurative work, primarily based on my family members using very simple spherical but equally colourful figures to denote their characters. The figures have opened up new possibilities to explore colour and emotion, emphasising the warmth of close relationships between family and friends.

Solo Exhibitions of the Landscape Artist in Ireland & Beyond

  •       The Ties That Bind, The Doorway Gallery, Dublin - 2023
  •        Night & Day, The Doorway Gallery, Dublin - 2021
  •       Fáinne Oir, American Premiere - Symphony Space, New York, USA - 2019
  •       Stories of Home, Kidogo Arthouse, Fremantle, Australia - 2017
  •       When All Roads Lead Home – The Doorway Gallery, Dublin - 2016
  •       Along the Atlantic Way – The Doorway Gallery, Dublin - 2015
  •       Island Life – The Western Light Art Gallery, Keel, Achill - 2014
  •       Family Album – Dun Laoghaire Art Gallery, Dublin 2014
  •       Homeland – The Doorway Gallery, Dublin 2013
  •       Still Lives – Dalkey Heritage Centre, Dublin 2012
  •       Still Lives – Old Market House Arts Centre, Dungarvan 2012
  •       Sentinels – The Doorway Gallery, Dublin 2011
  •       COAST – Dalkey Heritage Centre, Dublin, 2010
  •       The Light Of Which I Speak, The Bad Art Gallery, Dublin 2009
  •       Living Colours, Cork and Kerry, The Hungry Hill Gallery, Adrigole, Co.Cork 2007
  •       From Clare to Here. Lahinch Art Gallery, Lahinch, Co.Clare 2007
  •       The West of Ireland - Land, Sea and Sky,  The Hungry Hill Gallery, Adrigole, Cork 2006
  •       The Blue Loft Gallery, Dublin 2007 (2-person show with Axel Rothoux)

 

Selected Group Shows

  •       London Affordable Art Fair, Battersea, UK 2012 - 2022
  •       London Affordable Art Fair, Hampstead, UK 2011/12/13/14
  •       Wexford FRINGE, Whites Hotel 2009 - 2015
  •       Art Source, RDS, Dublin, 2009 – 2023

 

Gallery Representation

  •       The Doorway Gallery, Dublin
  •       Western Light Gallery, Keel, Achill, Co.Mayo
  •       Kilbaha Craft Gallery, Loop Head, Co.Clare
  •       Whitethorn Gallery, Clifden, Co.Galway
  •       Kenny’s Art Gallery, Lahinch, Co.Clare
  •       Ardmore Pottery, house Ardmore, Co.Waterford
  •       Hungry Hill Gallery, Adrigole, Co.Cork 

Collections

  •       The Hottinger Art Collection, London
  •       President's Office, Notre Dame University, USA
  •       Oliveto Restaurant, Dun Laoghaire
  •       Tannery Restaurant, Dungarvan
  •       Embassy of Cyprus, Washington, USA
  •       Embassy of France, Dublin, Ireland
  •       Artist residencies
  •       Heinrich Boll Cottage, Achill – 2007 
  •       Cill Riallig artist residency, Kerry - 2021                                     

Selected media

  •       Westmeath Examiner - Feature interview - 2021
  •       RTE Nationwide - Feature interview 2021
  •       The Mayo News - Feature Interview 2020
  •       The Connaught Telegraph - Feature article - 2017
  •       The Western Australian, Perth - Preview, 2017
  •       The Galway Advertiser – Feature interview, 2016
  •       The Mayo News – Feature interview by Ciara Moynihan, 2014
  •       Sunday Independent – Lucinda O’Sullivan review, 2014
  •       Ohio Irish American News, 2011 – Front cover profile/Interview by Susan Magan
  •       RTE Nationwide, 2010 –  Interview and Profile
  •       The Dubliner Magazine, 2011 – Review of solo exhibition “Sentinels”
  •       RTE Radio 1, The Arts Show – interview with Vincent Woods, 2009
  •       The Irish Times – interview with Joyce Hickey, March 2009 

Education

  •       Professional Development for Visual Artists, College of Art and Design, Dun Laoghaire 2006
  •       Higher Diploma in Technology Management, 2002 – Smurfit Business School, UCD
  •       Higher Diploma in Systems Analysis, 1996 - Senior College, Blackrock, Co Dublin
  •       ACCA Certified Diploma in Accounting and Finance, 1992
  •       Bachelor of Arts, NUI, Maynooth, Co.Kildare. 1981 – 1985