THE SEA

Majella makes paintings which try to make sense of what it means to live in this remote, rural and beautiful part of the world

Ann Davoren,
Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre

Majella O’Neill Collins

Majella O’Neill Collins was born in West Cork in 1964 and studied at Limerick School of Art and Design. Majella now lives on Sherkin Island, which sits on the periphery of the Atlantic Coast of West Cork. Her studio sits on the family farm, a liminal space of Irish contemporary artist and island farming and fishing tradition,

“I usually go to studio to paint early in the mornings, as it saves my sanity and clears my head.
Sometimes I spend my time getting ready to paint, preparing oils and turps and brushes, as I gather my thoughts and figure out what I’m going to paint.
The sea influences everything because it is so much part of our lives here on Sherkin Island. The memory, essence and unpredictability of the sea is the starting place for my work.
But it’s not just about the sea, more about life and mood and place, interpreting memories and relating to different emotions and island moments in my life. Painting is like therapy for me; it frees me up and lifts my spirit.”

She has exhibited throughout Ireland and abroad and her work is represented in many private and public collections in Ireland, Europe, the USA and Australia.

Majella played a leading role in establishing the acclaimed Cork University Hospital Art Collection, which contains the work of numerous leading artists and she is a member of the CUH Arts Committee since 2000.
Majella served as a Board Member of West Cork Arts Centre, Skibbereen for 9 years and was the Chairperson of the Board from 2003 to 2009 when she steered the building development project as a member of the Building Development Group. A new purpose-built arts building opened to the public in Skibbereen in January 2015.
She is currently an arts facilitator on the BA Visual Arts Degree Programme on Sherkin Island and was one of the key people involved in its set-up from the Pilot Programme in 1999 to its accreditation as an honours degree programme by Technical University Dublin.