Gloria O'Neil

STATEMENT:

 

Growing up in Guyana, South America exposed me to vivid colours and wide open spaces, which is why  I am  naturally inclined  to paint  landscapes.

 

My main concerns in painting are design, space, light, value and an emotional connection to each painting.

Painting Landscapes gives me an opportunity to escape into the world I create on canvas, and I hope that viewers feel a little of what I felt when I created each painting.

To satisfy my craving for  colour and culture I return to South America to immerse myself in the milieu.

  

My work is influenced by the French Impressionists,  and  it is always a thrill to stand  in front of their  paintings at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris.

 

 

   

 

Travelling is one of my passions, and  I received my true art education by travelling and visiting major galleries in Europe. 

 

Standing a few feet away from paintings by Goya and Velasquez at the Prado in Madrid, and a close up view of Picasso's Guernica,  were very inspiring moments for me.

 

I visit France to immerse myself in the seaside and villages which the Impressionists painted.  Some of the biggest thrills for me were standing on Monet's Japanese bridge admiring his water lilies, and wandering through his home and garden in Giverny.  Looking at Cezanne's Mt. Ste. Victoire in Aix-en-Provence and visiting his studio were very special moments for me.

 

A very warm feeliing enveloped me when I stood next to Renoir's wooden wheelchair at his home/gallery in Cagnes-Sur-Mer.  His unfinished paintings gave me an insight into his painting process.

 

While sitting in the square across from the Cafe Terrace in Arles, I invisioned VanGogh staggering out after an evening of Absinthe drinking.  These intimate moments are the reasons I return to France to recharge my artistic sensibilities.

 

My experiences while travelling through Europe, Australia, New Zealand, West and North Africa, the South Pacific, the Caribbean, South America, the USA and Canada, Croatia, Bosnia & Montenegro  have greatly influenced my work.  

                                                                       

I am an Active Member with the Federation of Canadian Artists and the North Shore Artists' Guild.   My work has been exhibited at the Hollyburn Country Club, Juried Exhibitions  at the Ferry Building Gallery in West Vancouver,  Harmony Arts Festival, The Silk  Purse Gallery, The West Vancouver Memorial Library Gallery,  The North Shore Artists Guild annual exhibitions, The Hycroft Gallery, The Shanghai Art Fair, and the Belleview Art Gallery in West Vancouver. 

  

My paintings are in private collections in Canada, Ireland, USA, Guyana, Scotland, Australia and New Zealand.

Art Education is a continuous process, and I hope to keep painting for the rest of my life.