Bio:
Seamus Berkeley is widely considered one of the most prominent artists in the Southwest. Dublin-born, Berkeley moved to Taos, New Mexico in 1999 in order to integrate into a more diverse artistic community, drawing upon Taoseños as subjects and inspiration for his paintings.
Seamus Berkeley’s paintings are extensively collected, both nationally and internationally, most of his work being commissioned fine art. For the past two decades, Berkeley has concentrated on oils as his primary medium, focusing on figurative and portraiture in a representational impressionistic style.
Berkeley enjoys creating artwork that speaks to the viewer. “The primary goal is to make a good painting. A good painting has the potential to evoke a memorable experience for the viewer”. Berkeley’s work is not only an expression of himself, but it is his own personal contribution to visually recorded history.
Seamus Berkeley has won several regional and national awards for his artwork, including Best Portrait at the Oil Painters of America show in 2000. He is the founder and past-president of the Taos Society of Portrait Artists and a member of the Oil Painters of America. Berkeley’s work has been featured in such publications as Southwest Art, Information Warehouse, The Taos News, Art-Talk and The Trail-Gazette.
Seamus’ influences include esteemed artists Charles Cross, Nancy Guzik, Quang Ho, David Lefel, Ron Sherr, Richard Schmid and Teresa Vito. Additionally, he has traveled worldwide to study first-hand the works of master painters.
“The beauty of art is not only in the completed work but in its process. The creative process in art is a movement — the external world is seen from the artist's perspective and is then returned to the external world through the chosen media. The result of this reflective process is a work of art to be shared by others.”
- Seamus Berkeley
Statement:
Beauty
For me, beauty is a delightful inner experience, not outside of oneself. Each of us has the potential to be in that space and we make the choice to be there or not. Painting is about the active engagement of placing oneself in the state of being that sees things in a beautiful way. The outcome expressed on canvas may lead the observer to wonder what the artist was experiencing while creating the painting. A good painting stimulates and encourages the viewer to enter into this mode of seeing beauty.
Discovery
Discovery — literally ‘not covering’. The act of not covering reveals to us a sense of beauty that we normally cover in our day-to-day activities. Painting can be used as a means of dis-covery that exposes an incredible alternative view of the world. Approached in this way, painting clears the mind to see the beauty that is already there.
Serenity
Serenity is a state of being that is unaffected by disturbance. It is calm, unclouded, clear. In order to paint well, it is necessary to look intently. By doing so, our preconceived ideas of what we are seeing are left behind and the mind is quieted. We discover beauty — serenity unfolds.
