Profile of the Artist
Diane Magee (née Murphy) attended Limerick School of Art & Design, where she graduated in Sculpture in 1991. Following this, she qualified in Art, Craft & Design Teaching in 1993. Diane taught art full-time in Árd Scoil Mhuire, Corbally, Limerick from 1993 to 1999, and completed a Masters Degree in Education at the University of Limerick in 1999. Diane was born in Youghal, County Cork, where she now lives and works as a full-time artist.
Much of her work explores and records the landscape, light and views which surround her daily. Irish landscape has always been her main interest. She initially created abstract watercolours, based on the wild landscape and light of West Clare, culminating in her first exhibition in Cork, some years ago. As the work developed, the subject matter became more representational, the perspective more traditional, and she began to work in oil on canvas.
In February 2007, Diane held her first show of oil paintings in Limerick, Landscapes in oil 1, a series of ten landscapes based on studies of Ferry Point, on the breakwater of the River Blackwater, just outside her studio. That show sold out on the night of the opening and lead directly to a series of commissioned pieces for a Limerick-based collector.
Diane worked full-time on these commissions until June 2008 when she started working on the next show, Landscapes in oil 2. This is a continuation from the last work, still directly inspired by and responding to her surroundings. The exhibition was held in the gallery at Milano, Limerick in March 2009 and also sold out. She has since completed commissioned pieces for various clients and new work for a group exhibition which was held in the Jack O'Patsy Gallery, Youghal, Co.Cork in December 2009. Diane is currently working on recently commissioned pieces and a new body of work for 2010.
