Explorations with Colour — Shane O'Malley
Galway-based artist Shane O’Malley is known for his abstract geometric murals, exploring relationships between space and colour.
We chatted with this talented painter about his artistic inspirations, ambitions and how perceptions of graffiti are changing in Ireland.
Have you always painted murals, or did you begin with other mediums?
I started painting graffiti in 2001. Graffiti played a big part in my life from my teens and throughout my 20s. I worked under an alias and painted graffiti pieces and characters around Ireland and in Europe. In 2016, I transitioned to painting abstract geometric murals and set up an artist studio working under my own name.
You have a distinctive style; is there a reason you choose to paint these colourful layered pieces?
I studied visual communications in art college and I came across the German art school The Bauhaus. One of the artists who taught at the Bauhaus Josef Albers wrote a book called "Interaction With Colour". I read it in 2016 and it had a huge impact on my style.
I'm drawn to blocks of colour, clean hard-edge lines and the symmetry of order and repetition. I like to break the order with a contrasting colour or by adding in a line or shape that creates a different flow within the piece.
How has your style developed over the years?
After art college, I was painting graffiti a lot and started exploring street art illustrating faces and tribal influenced masks. Over the next few years I painted graffiti letters and characters influenced by Celtic art. I've always liked the challenge of painting clean lines rather than the loose expressive marks spray cans make. Since working under my own name I've switched from painting faces to working more with colour abstractly, focusing on mural painting and on a studio art practice.
What inspires you artistically?
On a week to week basis in Galway I like getting out for a walk to clear my mind or meet up with my good mate and artist Finbar Mc Hugh to bounce creative ideas around. Inspiration can come from the most unexpected places. At the moment I'm reading a lot, books about artists, interviews and art history. Other artists over the years have influenced my art and my thinking.
Any Irish artists you think are whopper right now?
Aches, Maser, James Earley and Conor Harrington for me are producing really amazing work.
Do you have any upcoming projects you'd like to mention?
We are coming out of a lockdown so it's head down working on my studio practice and then I'll be out painting murals around Ireland over the summer.
What are your long-term ambitions?
Paint large paintings, travel more and work on large murals. Someday I would like a nice studio beside my house with a lovely view to look at when I'm not painting.
Do you believe that perceptions of graffiti are changing in Ireland, and if so, why?
Yeah, I think to some people the word graffiti covers, murals, tags, stencils, anything that is painted on walls. Over the years I have heard many people say that they like the colorful graffiti pieces but not the tags. Without the tags there would be no graffiti pieces and a lot of really amazing artists have come from graffiti.
Street art and murals have blown up over the last 10 yrs or so and people have responded very positively to that art. I think that's what has changed people's perception to what's is being painted in public spaces.
Ireland has undergone a lot of change in recent years, does any particular change (cultural, economic, artistic) stand out to you, and if so, why?
It's hard not talking about covid right now as have been in and out of lockdowns over the past year. Personally speaking lockdown has created a lot of space to reflect on habits and forced me to challenge and change some of my approaches.
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