Showcase success for local artist

2023 has begun on a major high for Dominic O'Brien, who is looking forward to seeing his art prints, a mix of wildlife and nostalgic scenes, on sale in ten shops nationwide.

Based in Killomenaghan, close to Ballinahown and Castledaly, the talented artist and illustrator was one of several local exhibitors at the massive Showcase event in the RDS, Dublin at the end of January, and he was thrilled by the reaction to his work and the orders that came directly from the four-day event which attracts buyers and businesses from all over the country.

“Showcase for me, was just brilliant. There were so many people just like me out there who are just trying to start off. It's a great buzz in the RDS between all the exhibitors,” Dominic, who is known to many locally as Dom, reflected. “I managed to get shops in Mayo, Sligo, Donegal, Monaghan, Kildare, Offaly, Tipperary, Cork, Clare and Meath to place orders so I was blown away by that.”

While Dominic cannot say much about it yet, he was also commissioned to produce ten works for another manufacturer and that's what he will be concentrating on in the coming weeks, as well as fulfilling his orders which hopefully will lead to more local outlets coming on board.

He has great praise for the local LEO office and Catriona Duffy for their help with the Showcase event, and promoting his business generally, encouraging anyone who has a small business or has an idea for one to get in touch.

“It's a huge boost (Showcase). I've done markets and I've done Ballinahown market, and a few Christmas markets over the years, and when people want your work – it's great. You go away thinking that I have to keep this going,” and that's what Dominic is determined to do, build on what he has achieved so far and drive on.

“When you go to an event like Showcase, you have businesses from all over the country coming in, and saying they haven't seen anything like that before. 'I really like your work, it's different' and I want to place an order with you for 30 prints.’ That's brilliant,” he commented, heaping praise on Midland Print in Pearse Street who look after his prints and Strand Frames in Cork, who supply the frames.

And with a such a varied portfolio, it's easy to see how his prints could end up on walls up down the country and abroad. There's everything from captivating local scenes of a fair day in St Mary's Square, Athlone or Moate long ago, to a burning Moydrum Castle in 1921, Clonmacnoise on a sunny day or the present-day church in Ballinahown or village scene.

Living in the countryside inspires another side of his work which focuses on wildlife from the barn owl, to the snipe and the bluetit and the vintage machinery dotted around the area or that he remembers from his youth. His prints of the grey Fergie tractor, Honda 50 or classic cars evoke memories for so many people, and in turn make ideal gifts or “affordable art” as he likes to think of them.

Art was always in his life, Dominic said, and his parents John and Pat, herself a talented stain glass artist, “nurtured and encouraged” it as he was growing up as did Michael English, his teacher in Castledaly NS. Born in England, Dominic came back to Ireland age six, and recalled growing up in 1980s Ireland loving comics and following TV artist Don Conroy.

“My mother always said to me that she saw from a young age that I enjoyed drawing, that I could observe something, see it and draw," he said, adding that he continued art in secondary school and soon began to think of it as part of his future.

“I always knew I wanted to do art, I've always enjoyed it and I've always found it an outlet from cartoons to caricatures, that sort of stuff,” said Dominic, who later completed a diploma in Coventry, England before moving onto a college course in scientific and natural history illustration incorporating wildlife, animals, plants etc in Blackpool, which is part of Lancaster University. Fascinated by natural history since he was young, and people like Eamon de Buitléar and David Attenborough, the local artist said it was a “great course” for teaching wildlife art and photography.

Returning home in 1998, Dom joined Athlone Arts Group which he really loved. He later taught art classes in the Knights of Columbanus, Athlone before joining the teaching staff of Moate Business College which he enjoyed for several years before moving into the child protection area where he's worked for many years. He did an exhibition in 2015 in Tuar Ard and Dominic laughed recently that he's “probably due another one”.

“I suppose it's gone full circle, I used to enjoy it when I was younger, taught it for a number of years between doing art classes and in the college, and now I'm back doing it myself and I suppose I'm just trying to further that – 25 years on from college,” said Dominic, who is married to Barbara and has two children Dan and Aoife.

“People love art. You can have digital this and digital that, but you can't beat a painting hanging on the wall,” said the local man, who added that the “positive side is I enjoy doing it and people enjoy and like what I do”.

You can see more of his work on Instagram @dominic_obrien_illustrator_