Tony O'Malley

Largely self-taught, Tony O'Malley came to painting late. Born in Callan, County Kilkenny, O'Malley has suffered intermittently from serious illness and during a period of convalescence in 1945 he executed his first painting in oils. In 1958 he took early retirement from his job in the bank, moved to St. Ives in Cornwall, and took up a career in art. St. Ives at this time was a thriving artistic centre and he met artists such as Peter Lanyon and Patrick Heron. Early works from this period are figurative, responding in an slightly expressionist manner to his landscape surroundings. He has since evolved towards a less figurative style with a brighter palette, but his work remains firmly rooted in the experience of a place. In 1973 he married the artist Jane Harris, whom he met in St. Ives. In the 1980s he spent a period of time in the Bahamas where his wife has family and the paintings he produced reflect the colour of the exotic foliage and butterflies of the ares. Tony O'Malley later lived in his native Kilkenny.