Meet the Maker: Majella O'Neill Collins

Can you explain your background in creativity? How did you become an artist?

As a child, I always loved to draw and paint and make things. I was very blessed in one way because I was dyslexic and art enabled me to dream.

I was in school and quite bored a lot of the time. Because of this, I did a lot of drawing and I also had an amazing art teacher, Brian Aldridge, in secondary school, who helped me develop this dream.

I was very focused - from an early age all I wanted was to become an artist, so I went to Limerick School of Art and Design and I had five of the most amazing years.

I met and studied with some great people and developed lifetime friendships there.

Because I grew up in the countryside three miles outside Skibbereen, going to the city was a big adventure and opened many possibilities.

After I finished college, I did a lot of traveling before settling down, by pure coincidence, on Sherkin Island. The moment I landed on Sherkin, I felt at home and knew this was where I belonged. Now, 35 years later, the feeling remains the same.

Can you explain your creative process?

I'm an artist and I express myself mainly through oil paint. I have always loved painting.

I suppose my process would be that I work alone in my studio. I work with different sized canvases.

I paint from memory, experience and emotion.

My creativity is very much affected by where I live and by the environment around me, but I do not paint directly looking at the subject for inspiration – it mostly comes from imagination.

What inspires you?

Living on Sherkin is a constant source of inspiration. The weather, the tides, the elements and the isolation, especially in the winter, are really a big part of my work.

Sherkin is full of artists. We even have a third-level art course run in conjunction with TU Dublin, on which I am a facilitator.

Through this, I get to meet, work and learn from some of the country's most established artists. This is another big source of inspiration to me. I consider my style to be a semi-abstract expressionist.

What are your best sellers?

I have exhibited both at home and abroad. The most recent solo show 'The Allegory of the MV Alta' was in Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre, Skibereen, in January 2024. It took me five years to prepare and put this show together and it was a huge success.

Currently, I am preparing for a group exhibition in the Yellow Door Gallery, Baltimore, with two other very talented Irish artists Paula Brown Martin and Aisling Roche, from 25 July to the end of August.

One of the most memorable moments in my career was when George Clooney purchased one of my works.

What are your hopes/plans for the future?

My hopes for the future are to keep painting. I'm working on a new body of work and next year I hope to build a new studio.

What advice would you give to aspiring artists?

In the early days of my career, things were often difficult, struggling to keep my head above water financially and creatively at the same time was tough work.

What helped me was surrounding myself with like-minded creative people and never giving up on my dream.

Rejection comes part and parcel with this way of life, but don't let that get in your way. You learn a lot more through failure, so with hard work and determination you can succeed.

Who are your favourite artists?

I am inspired by many artists, but some of my favorites are Tracey Emin, Gerard Richter, Amanda Coogen, Jessie Jones and Edward Monk.

If you want to see more of Majella’s work, visit her website or Instagram page

here.

If you know someone who'd be a good fit for our Meet the Maker series, let us know by emailing us at icl@farmersjournal.ie.

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