Pat O’Connor studied science and worked as a fisherman before going on to train as a psychotherapist and an artist. He grew up in a world where creativity wasn’t valued and when he eventually realised that he was highly creative it was a revelation. Now living in Kinvara, where his new exhibition opens this Friday, he tells JUDY MURPHY about his unusual journey.

Walking into Pat O’Connor’s home, located in a small housing estate on the outskirts of Kinvara, it’s immediately obvious where his passion lies.

Paintings are lined up against walls in the hall and sitting room, while the kitchen table is home to several stone and timber sculptures alongside stone fragments that may be used in future art projects.

It’s a Friday morning and, with just a week to go, Pat is in the process of selecting pieces for Stone & Wind, his upcoming art exhibition in Kinvara, which will open this Friday night, March 3.

He’s a member of the local artists’ group KAVA and the show, being held in the former courthouse in the village, will be opened by his old friend, sculptor and silversmith Kevin O’Dwyer.

Pat is also exhibiting work in the nearby Fox’s Restaurant, with 50 per cent of sales from both shows going towards earthquake relief in Syria and Turkey.

There are even more paintings in the compact shed at the back of the house which he uses as a studio.

Pat, who also writes creatively, would happily paint every day but doesn’t – mostly because of space.

He gestures around, laughs and says: “What would I do with them?”

Pat came to art as an adult, having been unaware for most of his life just how creative he was.

“If I had started younger, I might have got into deeper exploration of meaning,” he says of his paintings, adding that he’s not so interested in probing into dark places any more.

Pat’s vibrant work explores many of his interests, from quantum physics to human behaviour and relationships, and the physical world we inhabit. The sea and sailing boats feature large in his paintings, something that’s rooted in his childhood.

Originally from Millstreet in Cork, Pat spent much of his youth on Sherkin Island where his family had a holiday home. All his summers were spent there and it was on Sherkin he developed a love of boats and for fishing, something he would later earn his livelihood from.

“At sea in a small boat, you are completely in the environment. The sea is active an all around you. Land is stable. It’s beautiful too but the sea is dynamic, moving all the time.”

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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