Michael O'Faolain
Michael is an Irish artist, originally from County Leitrim, and has been traveling the world, painting and exhibiting for the past twenty-five years. His work has been described as having “spontaneous originality”. He would describe himself as a non-conformist artist. “I do not paint to conformity or from conformity” he says.
Michael’s first relationship with canvas was to paint landscapes, and these landscapes were indicative of his native rural roots. Mountains were a feature of his early work, a reference to his own struggle at the time to climb to new heights.
Michael’s life has undergone profound change and that, coupled with the incoming energies of change currently being experienced on the earth, informs and influences his art; it is the lens through which he expresses his journey and the wisdom gained on that often barren, rocky terrain. It is a journey we all take in one form or another as our souls seek healing through life’s experiences. Consequently, his paintings speak deeply to us as we recognise in them our own selves and experiences.
As his work developed, he moved through a series of colour periods. The first
and most notable was the purple period. This was a spiritual awakening time for Michael, as he got in touch with his inner self and, in his search for truth and light. His next art pieces were born bringing him through different colours from blue to green to yellow to indigo. These colours dominated his canvasses in new and exciting ways as he explored the relationship between colour and tone.
Another defining influence on Michael and his work was the beautiful island of Bali. He first visited this idyllic island in 2000 and, so taken by the vibrant energy of the place that he returned to it annually. In 2005 he moved to Bali and lived there for seven years absorbing the culture and allowing it to yet further inform and inspire his art. This is evident in his work from those years and give his art a more free-flowing, sensual and vibrant dimension.
In 2006, Michael visited Australia. He connected with the core earth energy in Aborigine territory, a natural essence that inspired a series of sand paintings that are large, rich, textured and tactile, representing a shift in consciousness to a warmer, more intense period.
Ever driven by an inner impulse to discover new art forms, Michael next explored painting with his hands expressing his desire to connect even more with the material he was immersed in, to allow his fingers to become part of the very soul of his artwork. There is an intimate feel to his work, a sense that the artist is releasing his inner muse through his fingertips.
Thereafter, there were further big shifts in his work and it moved to a deeper level. It was an embryonic period as evidenced by sequential titles: “Core of Creation”, “Changing Times”, “The Opening”, “Vibration Shift”, “Opening of the Heart”, “A Breath of Consciousness” and “Celebration”. As the titles suggest, they are personal and intimate, yet connected to the shifts in the world we are experiencing.
He continues to be amazed and surprised by his inner and outer journey and this is evident in his continuous exploration of where his expanding consciousness takes him.