Born in Dublin and now based in Kilkenny, Eamon Colman is one of Ireland's most respected contemporary painters with a professional career spanning to almost 50 years.
He has held 44 solo exhibitions and has presented nationally and internationally, including a major mid-term retrospective at the Royal Hibernian Academy. He has been selected member of Aosdána since 2007 in recognition of his significant contribution to Irish culture.
His current exhibition, Curated by Rain, which runs until June 20 at the Solomon Gallery in Dublin is a new body of paintings and mixed media works which draw on Colman's observations of the changing seasons during a residency at Mount Congreve Gardens in Waterford.
How did your artistic journey begin?
With the support of artist Sean McSweeney, who introduced me to the gallery, it began with my first solo exhibition at Tullfarris Gallery in Wicklow in 1980. This ran in conjunction with Gerry Davis' exhibition in the same building; the ripple effect of being in that artistic circle led to more exhibitions.
Where did the title for your current show come from?
The exhibition's title originated when, during the installation of several paintings in Mount Congreve's charming derelict Peach House, the frequent showers of rain became integral to the curation due to the numerous leaks in the roof.
The artwork was placed safely in the dry areas - curated by rain. What began as a practical necessity evolved into a central metaphor. Through this accidental choreography, weather assumed authorship.
What do you want your audience to feel when visiting the exhibition and viewing your work?
I hope people look at gardens not as places to manage, but as places that inspire, comfort and nurture. The benefits of getting outside and getting our hands into the soil are proven to be beneficial for our well-being.
What's something you wish people would ask you about your art, but rarely do?
Most frequently, people ask me about my technique, how I mix colours for example, with direct reference to places that inspire in a literal sense. But I rarely get asked about my imagination. Just ask me what fuels my imagination, you might be surprised.
What's the most valuable investment - of time, money, or energy - you've made in your career?
It is only by doing that new ideas emerge. That's how creativity works - you cannot wait for a brilliant idea to come to you, it is only by doing that ideas emerge, and that requires an investment in time, in giving yourself time.
A place that means a lot to you other than your studio?
I live above the snowline; my three-acre garden is in the uplands of north Co Kilkenny, so I battle to protect the plants before the onslaught of winter, and then in spring I try to reclaim the garden from the ravages wrought.
What's the biggest misconception people have about being an artist today?
I laugh when people say it must be so lovely to do something you love - framing it like a hobby, rather than like a job that has good and bad days. I work every day. Even when I'm not in the studio, I'm at work.
What's a recent cultural moment - film, book, exhibition, event - that has stayed with you?
I'm an avid reader. I reread Crome Yellow by Aldous Huxley for the second time recently. This is a powerful work of art where nothing much happens, yet it is compelling. One quote has stayed with me: 'There is only one corner of the universe that you can improve on, and that's oneself'.
If you could disrupt one thing about the art world, what would it be?
Perhaps not 'disrupt' per se, but shift perspectives on art by de-centering it from the urban centres of cities such as London, New York, and Paris. Art and culture are everywhere; we all create and consume culture, whether knowingly or not.
The best piece of advice I ever received?
It came from my father, the artist Seamus O'Colmáin, who said, to paraphrase him: to get out of your own way. In other words, it is important to trust your intuition and relinquish your pretentious ego.
