Welcome to Chanbhas, the home of my original paintings. I am Sean Byrne, an Irish artist working between Swords in North County Dublin, Aughrim in County Wicklow, and Err in the French Pyrenees.
I have been drawing and painting for more than 50 years. The places I return to most often—woodlands, bogs, coastlines and mountain landscapes—continue to shape the work. Light, weather and the passage of time can make even a familiar view feel entirely new.
My paintings range from the recognisable harbour at Howth to close studies of woodland and bog, and to more abstract responses to landscape and the city. Some follow a place through changing light or seasons: three paintings grew from a single autumn walk at Ushers Lake, while paired studies revisit a winter bog and a moss covered stump at different scales. The Glass Bead series began with a rain blurred view from a bus, where urban light and weather dissolved into colour and movement.
I work with acrylic and mixed media, building colour and texture in layers. My background in digital technology also informs some paintings: I may develop an image or explore composition digitally before printing it on canvas or board and working further on the physical surface with acrylic paint and textured media. Other works are developed directly through painting. In each case, the finished piece is an original work shaped by decisions made on the surface.
I am interested in what happens as a recognisable place begins to move towards abstraction. A painting might bring us close to the tangled life of a bog, look out across a harbour, or imagine the land from above. Across these different views, I return to light, atmosphere, natural connections and the ways our surroundings change.
If you are interested in acquiring a painting, would like to discuss a commission, or have a question about my work, I would be delighted to hear from you.
