Bart O'Reilly

Literary, Painting, Poetry, Visual / Media

I work primarily with painting and poetry. Though the subject matter is deeply personal, I engage with contemporary art practice. The paintings seek to evoke a sense of place and diffuse memories, places, and nostalgias that accompany it. The connection to Ireland and my childhood is heightened by geographic distance and the recent passing of my parents. The interactions between pigment suspended in water and the fabric surface of the canvas or paper keep my process open to the push and pull of control and letting go. Though I begin with childhood memories I develop a concurrent relationship with light, perception, material, and color; the ever -shifting background of Irish skies informing my complex relationship with 21st century America.

About the Artist

Bart O’Reilly is an Irish artist living in Maryland. He teaches at Loyola University, Harford Community College, and The Maryland Institute College of Art. He has a BFA from NCAD in Dublin 2000 and received an MFA from MICA in 2012. He is a recipient of an Individual Artists Award from The Baltimore Office of Promotions of the Arts and has been recognized for scholarly and creative work at Harford Community College. In 2022 he published My Father’s Work Shed a collection of poetry and paintings with Wipf and Stock Publishers.

Bart O'Reilly website bartoreilly.net