Anne Marie Dowdican

Anne Marie Dowdican was born in Donegal but now lives in Sligo. She studied in Sligo Regional Technical College from 1988-1991 where she obtained a Certificate in Visual Education and a National Diploma in Fine Art.

Working in oils and pastels, sometimes with colour inside finely drawn lines, Anne Marie works from concepts rather than actuality, though the landscape of Sligo, where she lives by the sea, and of Donegal from where she hails, often nudge through onto canvas.

A confident painter, there are pieces of all sizes and her sense of colour is honed - she says - by a passionate interest in photography, but such a flathúlach and yet pleasing and successful use of pinks, yellows, piercing dark blues and orange could only stem from a natural optimism.

Often big and bold and more square than curved in line, lashings of paint mixed with aplomb makes for depth and adds to the gaiety of reds, yellows and oranges. Yet, in a big midnight blue painting where the dark shapes twinkle with golden pinpoints of light, there is restraint as the abstract is invaded by a pleasing reality, as in the memory of a nocturnal view across a bay.

Saying she is "analytical rather than emotional" the pieces are brave and optimistic, full of life and bold in outline, yet some dark metallic pastels, edges blurred, draw in the eye and the imagination.

Solo Exhibitions:

2002	"Home Thoughts For Abroad" - City Hall Gallery, Florida
	"Cats, Nudes and Other Things" - Sligo Art Gallery
2001	"Paintings Of The Passion" - Dominican Priory, Sligo
1999	"New Works" - Sligo Park Hotel
1998	"Spirit Of Nature" - The Glens Arts Centre, Leitrim
	"Out and About" - Sligo Park Hotel
1997	"Tairscint" - Cork Arts Society Gallery
	"Ceol na Beithe" - Sligo Art Gallery
	"New Works" - North West Regional Tourism Office, Sligo
1995	"Ceiluradh" - Sligo Art Gallery
	"Samhlaigh" - Cork Arts Society Gallery
1994	"Muscailt" - Dolan-Moore Gallery, Athlone
1993	"Odaise" - Sligo Art Gallery
	"Odaise" - Cork Arts Society Gallery

Selected Group Exhibitions:

2001	"The Arts In Context" - Airfield, Dundrum, Dublin
	"Music" - Sligo Art Gallery
	"North Western Artists" - Sligo Art Gallery
2000	"Works On Paper" - Le Moyne Art Foundations, Florida
	"CASe 2000" - Cork Arts Society Gallery
1999	"Salute To The New Millennium" - Sligo Art Gallery
	"Le Cheile" - Sligo Art Gallery
1998	"Characters" - Glen Arts Centre, Leitrim
	"On Board" - Sligo Art Gallery
	"Christmas Show" - Sligo Art Gallery
1997	"Blian Is Fice Ag Fas" - Sligo Art Gallery
1996	"Design On Peace" - American Embassy, Dublin
	"Design On Peace" - American Embassy, Washington
1994	"A Magic Room At Christmas" - The Kenny Gallery, Galway
	"Three Artists" - Sligo Park Hotel
	"Group Exhibition" - Dolan-Moore Gallery, Athlone
1993	"Summer Show" - Carroll Gallery, Longford
	"Drawings" - Sligo Art Gallery
	"Group Show" - Dolan-Moore Gallery, Athlone
1992	"Group Six" - Sligo Art Gallery

Further Information:

2002	Published "Paint Me", Book of imagery and writings
1999	Published "Imagine", Book of poetry and photography
1993-1997	Critiques/Reviews for Circe, the Sligo Champion and other publications.

Ongoing:

Illustrations for Cover Designs & Imagery of various magazines
Critiques/Reviews for local publications
Exhibition of Works in The Kenny Gallery Galway, Cork Arts Society Gallery and Present Company Donegal

Painting Trips:

St. Ives (Cornwall), Lisbon Coast (Portugal), Nova Scotia (Canada)
Residency at the Cill Rialig Project, Co. Kerry

Represented in many public and private collections at home and abroad.