About James O'Hanlon
I am an Irish painter, working in the South of France in the mountains of the Pyrenees, in a small town called Quillan, formally the center of Formica production. Prior to this I spent over ten years working in various cities around the world: New York, Moscow, Cairo, Hong Kong, Oslo, Paris, Berlin, Tokyo, Palestine, and Venice. During this period I was engaged in producing vast, highly detailed images of the urban environment, fascinated with the day to day minutia of city life rather than iconic landmarks. These led to numerous commissions, most notably for Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, a new image of the city for a new wing. Since relocating to France I have begun to explore landscape and natural forms. Returning to cool, bold colours. This new work is influenced by my loveof and fascination with Modernist Graphics and the quality of Lithographic print, clear crisp delineated forms and flat colour. I love the work of Herge, Henri Riviere, Japanese prints (Hiroshige, Hokusai ). I am currently working on a project in collaboration with Formica for a series of exhibitions across Europe, creating images of the former site of their factory, in Quillan. These images will be reproduced in Formica.
Education:
1982 Exeter Collage of Art & Design – BA Hons Degree in Fine Art
Exhibitions:
1996- Bonnington Gallery, Nottingham ‘New subject-Old subject”
1997- Won Gulbenkian Award for Wolverhampton Art Gallery for production of multi media artwork, ‘The Wall Street Journal’. Commission was complemented numerous workshops based at gallery.
2002 winner ‘Resonance’ Open at Royal Pump Rooms Leamington Spa for multi media artwork.
2003- Artwork in Poptastic group exhibition celebrating regions collection of Pop Art at Shirehall Gallery in Stafford.
2006 ‘Advert for Anything’ an exhibition of large images around Birmingham city centre funded by the Arts Council, the MAC, Birmingham City Council and other partners. Using billboards, sides of buildings, car parks, and the Bullring, utilising various digital printing techniques.
2007 ‘The Ways of Seeing’ produced public artwork with a group of individuals with visual impairments in Milton Keynes. Exhibited giant ‘paint colour swatches’ based upon accessible and non-accessible colours for visually impaired people, printed as vinyl banners.
2008 ‘On the verges’- producing artwork for public in Milton Keynes, large banners were printed and exhibited via purpose-built hangers around the city.
West Midlands Open 2010 BMAG Won second prize.
Daiwa Open- 2010 Royal Opera House Gallery London.
The Cube Open 2010- The Cube Gallery Manchester
January- Oct 2012 Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery a commission, comprising of a painting of Birmingham for their permanent collection and part of the new history gallery. Work also to be reproduced a large print for sale via the gallery.
Sept 2012- June 2013- Associate lecturer in Visual Recording at Birmingham Metropolitan Collage teaching drawing.
May 2013- First prize in Leamington Spa Royal Pump Rooms Open.
June 2013- Won Roslyn Zalin Prize in RBSA Open.
May 2018- Artistes à Suivre, Aude region France
2020 -
I've Never Seen The Sky Like This Before..., Southwest Contemporary, Adelaide, Australia
Features and reviews:
Diverse Nature – an Artist in Quillan, Network News - September 10, 2017
http://www.network-news.com/diverse-nature-an-artist-in-quillan/
A refreshing experience at the Open exhibition at Leamington art gallery, by Coventry Live, 21 June 2013
https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/whats-on/find-things-to-do/refreshing-experience-open-exhibition-leamington-4694995
Artist James O'Hanlon city landscape looks on the right lines, by Graham Young, Birmingham Post, 30 May 2013
https://www.birminghampost.co.uk/whats-on/find-things-to-do/artist-james-ohanlon-city-landscape-3909615 |