Who is Maria Jordan-O’Reilly?
An eclectic old bird, Maria Jordan-O’Reilly is a creative soul who uses visual art along with other forms of expression to examine her journey through life.
An artistic soul in a body that is getting older and a bit creaky at times. I love taking time to create words and images and to tap into my imagination. Currently my work continues to evolve, ever changing, as I explore and delve into different processes, tools and techniques.
My pieces are organically created, growing from my emotions and day-to-day lived experience. All are quite unique, and each piece adds to my body of work and indeed feeds into my ideas for future pieces.
Some days paint and brush call to me and demand expression, and others it is the pen that is most salient. Occasionally each inspire the other, and pen and brush; paint and words; come together in a flurry of thoughts that neither one can quite hold alone.
One thing I do know, with every venture towards expression, is that the outcome is never guaranteed, much like life itself!
I am the Venus of Willendorf, not the Venus de Milo!
With that said I created this piece a few months back, and I have been living with her since. I knew she had more to tell me. And today, in the shower (because that's when things often click in my head) I realised that she was telling me that my 5 foot 1 inch body, of...
Parra Dubh and the Ghost
Between 1937 and 1938 UCD collected stories from children in Primary Schools all across Ireland. I happily came across the archive holding these wonderful insights into the minds of children back then. The stories range from pieces of local history, stories about life...
Bailieborough Shop Fronts – Crosson’s Pub
Crosson’s pub, at the bottom of Bailieborough town, has a delightfully understated traditional shop front. It drew me and made me wonder what stories it might have to tell. I started to paint it and Eugene Markey posted one of the memories that came to his mind. “I...