The Artist Mary Crowley
Made with love in Co. Donegal, Ireland.
Living in Inishowen means my surroundings are my inspiration for painting. My works aim to convey the beauty and vibrancy of the landscape of Donegal. Many of my landscapes are painted in my studio in Tiernasligo, Clonmany. It is a working studio/gallery and visitors are always welcome.
I’m drawn to quiet, intimate, secluded places within my immediate landscape. I enjoy painting buildings and seascapes. When I absorb myself in a place, I develop a strong emotional connection and I’m drawn to paint it. Full of light, texture and mood each of my paintings tell a story - capturing the soft light and vibrant hues that come alive through watercolour.
I’ve been in love with the Donegal area since childhood and find it endlessly inspiring. My passion for watercolour painting began in 2012.
The day I held a paint brush, my life changed. I had the feeling I was home, connected to something that I had never felt before and I started painting. I am a self-taught Donegal artist working with the medium of Watercolour; I love the softness and vibrancy of watercolour, it’s forever giving me moments of delight creating watercolour art from Donegal landscapes.
My work is now available at the following locations:
Moville Pottery Shop, Moville, Co Donegal
Glendowen Craft Studio, Clonmany, Co Donegal
Greencastle Maritime Museum, Greencastle, Co Donegal
Mary Crowley’s Artist Studio, Tiernasligo. Co Donegal.
How did I get Started?
Following a serious illness I started to paint, my doctors had advised me to take up something to help me relax. My Cardiologist was not impressed when I told him that I had decided to take up Watercolours, as an Oil Painter he felt oils would be much less stressful. He joked that Watercolours would cause a heart attack!
What I enjoy most?
I love my watercolours- I love the act of painting. I feel so content even complete when I pick up my paint brushes. The pleasure I receive when playing with colour is immense. To be able to articulate the creative process through painting gives me great satisfaction and joy. I often get lost for hours whilst painting as my thought processes seem to switch to a different dimension.
Obstacles
Being self taught I found that the greatest obstacle to me was frustration - my disappointment at the time taken to learn each step in the watercolour process. I wanted to paint a masterpiece immediately. I kept repeating errors because nobody was there to correct my tiny mistakes. That made all the difference to the time it took for me to learn basic techniques. Having no curriculum to follow meant I learnt in a haphazard manner. I spent a lot of time trying techniques and processes that have not been relevant to my style of painting.
Finally a major obstacle was my discovery that an ability to draw is essential as a basis for a good realistic painting. My drawing skills were zero as I had never taken art at school, consequently my progress with this is still slow. To me the greatest advantage to being self taught over formal schooling is I can work at my own pace and because I have learnt through trial and error I have my own style. I do feel that it would have been wonderful to have been classically trained in both drawing and painting. (Sadly not readily available to me) I believe formal training in painting and drawing techniques has an awful lot to offer a representational artist.
When I paint I try to relate what I see - I enthusiastically try to capture the light and atmosphere of my environs. The light is constantly changing in the West of Ireland therefore it is very challenging for an artist to try to capture it.
I have a deep love of Water and the Sea. I find sometimes the urge to paint boats water and beaches will override my need to paint waiting commissions. I can be found sitting on the rocks near my home sketching waves and rocks and tidal pools. I am so content laid in bed listening to the waves crashing on the beach in front of my home. I think it mainly comes from living on an Island.
