Art Blog - John O'Shea

Ocean Dawn I like the dawn. There's something about it that speaks of hope and new possibilties. When people speak about "I can't wait for this day to end", to me the dawn is the moment they're waiting for. And there's something magical about staying up all night chatting with friends until you slowly start to realise the room's getting lighter..… Continue reading… 0 comments

Fireworks Thre are as many different dancers as there are snowflakes. This piece was inspired by a lady wh can best be described as "crazy in a good way"… Continue reading… 0 comments

Fire Bird There's a lot to be said for determination. For just stubbornly refusing to give up on the things that are important to you. And then finally there are those wonderful days where you actually manage to acheive what you set out to do… Continue reading… 0 comments

Cassandra was cursed by the gods to be able to foresee disaster but no-one would ever heed her warnings. It's remarkably frustrating to watch friends doing things that will lead to disaster and yet refuse to see it… Continue reading… 0 comments

Argentine Tango Dancer 2 This piece is inspired by a wonderful dance of argentine tango. I've repainted this slightly differently. One of the interesting questions about Argentine Tango is how can you dance with the same person for years without getting bored? Forme, the different ways they express themselves and the interplay between that and the way I express myself is what keeps me interested. The subtle changes from night to night are what keeps it fresh… Continue reading… 0 comments

Autumn approaches and indeed it seems like we might jump straight to winter! I painted this to remind me of a peaceful warm sunny day, so I can continue to enjoy the flowers and the rippling water in the warmth of my home… Continue reading… 0 comments

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Panther I've always liked the contrasts within panthers. Their beautiful relaxed grace which can turn into snarling energy in an instant. This painting conveys the feeling of them in a jungle, lord of their domain… Continue reading… 0 comments

There are distinct stages in tango. This is inspired by one of the later ones where the mists of confusion have cleared away and the woman is now confident and certain of herself and her dance. It's a beautiful thing… Continue reading… 0 comments

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Sparkle This piece was inspired by a friend nick-named Sparkles for her dancing attire and personality; I wanted to create the illusion of the picture appearing to glow. She's very pleased with it and it's one of my favourite pieces… Continue reading… 0 comments

Argentine Tango Dancer The problem with portraying tango in art is that it requires the viewer to understand tango and is I think limited by their experience of the embrace. To people who haven't experienced a good embrace it tends to look rather dull. The obvious solution is to do what everyone does instead - then you don't need that experience. The only way I've seen around this that I like is photographic close-ups, particularly focusing on the woman's face. For me the solution is by simply portraying the woman in abstract, trying to express how she made me feel… Continue reading… 0 comments

Viking Pyre There's something about the image of a Viking funeral and a boat being burnt at sea. There's an innate pride and dignity to the proceedings. A natural returning, it's easy to see how a warrior could pause for a moment to look down proudly at his sending off before being carried up to Vahalla… Continue reading… 0 comments

Dragon Sunset It's strange, I never actually set out to paint dragons, they show up unexpectedly. I like this particular combination in that although sunsets are often portrayed as tranquil, I really like the ones that seem to set the whole sky ablaze, if only for a few precious minutes… Continue reading… 0 comments