Eamon McAteer left his ‘Historic City’ of Derry, in the northwest of Ireland, for London in 1974 to study a foundation course at Saint Martin’s School of Art and later completed a fine art honours degree at The Slade School of Art, London and a postgraduate year in Goldsmiths’ College UCL.
He returned to live and work in his native Derry in 1979, as an artist and art teacher, having secured a full-time teaching post in Thornhill College, Derry where he was appointed Head of Art and Design in 2002. He was awarded first prize in the Derek Hill Special Award at the Open Submission Exhibition, Glebe Gallery, County Donegal in 2005 and was short-listed in 2008, with five international artists, for The Foyle Public Art Project, an open international competition, at that time the largest public art project in Ireland.
As Directing Artist Eamon was commissioned by Thornhill College Derry to design and install a large-scale sculpture called ‘Stepping Out’ on top of a twenty five square metre unique hand built mosaic entitled ‘Light Dance’. The work commenced in 2008 and was completed in 2012. Eamon’s work is wholly original, and he is best known for paintings which are partially revealed and hidden by the bursts of colour and textures that envelop them. His work creates a magical effect and yet they curiously have a familiar feel to them.
He uses his selective visual memory to realise the work, derived from disparate visual sources that may transiently connect to the Irish psyche. Eamon is an exceptionally thoughtful, introspective artist. Now retired from teaching art at Thornhill College Derry, Eamon is very much at home, literally and metaphorically, with his art.
Eamon was an art teacher at the prestigious Thornhill college from 1979 until his retirement in 2018. Eamon became the Head of the Art department in 2002 where he worked closely to inspire and influence young creative minds from Derry and beyond to shape the future of the creative industry in the north west.
The exhibition will include a variety of paintings which have been completed over the last decade showcasing his distinct expressionist style of art. We are privileged to host Eamon’s work here at the UV Arts Centre and thank the Inner City Trust for their continued support with
this opportunity to celebrate local art and artist.
www.artworkarchive.com/profile/eamon
For further information you can contact Eamon McAteer at email: eamonmcateer@gmail.com
see full press release here – Press Release – Eamon McAteer (docx)
UV Arts – Contemporary Urban Art Gallery, 16 Bishops Street, Derry BT48 6PW
