While I am primarily an artist and drive the creative vision, I work with a small team who support me around sales and logistics as well as helping to run my gallery space on Belfast’s Ormeau Road. I focus my energy on painting, and delegate anything I can.
How did the business start?
I have always painted, but only for myself or family and friends. During lockdown in 2020 I started an Instagram account and started to share my work. I was amazed by the interest in my art. I began to get enquiries from across the UK and Ireland, the USA and locally from Northern Ireland. I rented my gallery space in 2021. It is hidden up two flights of stairs, but I love that people don’t stumble upon the gallery – they come specifically to find me. We have had visitors from as far as Canada, the US and Australia, to name a few.
What is your own background?
I worked as a doctor in various specialties, beginning in psychiatry but becoming increasingly interested in preventative medicine and Public Health. I worked part time between Public Health and art before I decided to pursue art full-time.
What are your unique strengths?
My background in medicine has given me an understanding of how businesses work, how to manage stress and competing timelines. From the outset, I have run my own social media. There, I share my process and my inspiration, and I think this makes it easier to connect with the finished product and has removed the “gatekeepers” often present in the art world, allowing me to deal directly with collectors and supporters.
I am self-taught as an artist, meaning I have found my own way. I came to this role later in life after building a sense of confidence that my younger self wouldn’t have had.
Who will be your main customers?
I resonate with Celtic mythology and culture, and this is often reflected in my paintings. My collectors are often part of the Irish Diaspora and can come from all over the world. People with no particular connection to Ireland are drawn to my colours and texture. There often isn’t an objective reason why someone connects with a piece of art. That’s part of the beauty of it.
How do you want the business to grow?
I would like my reputation to continue to grow and would like to display my work internationally and further develop my presence across Ireland – to cater for those who like my work but are not able to purchase an original piece we have developed limited edition prints.
What challenges have you faced so far?
Managing the creative process whilst running a business. I am used to working as part of a large team as a doctor, and being an artist is very much a solo journey. I have struggled to adapt to this at times.
Who or what most inspires you?
In addition to being inspired by the Irish landscape, myth and legend, I appreciate the work of Donald Teskey, Genieve Figgis, Basil Blackshaw and Diana Copperwhite. They are very different artists, but I love their combinations of contemporary colours and compositions with quirky themes and representations.
Where do you think your business will be in the next few years?
I hope to continue to develop as an artist, while building my reputation. I would love to be working closely with a gallery to enable me to focus more of my time on my creative output.
