GERARD BYRNE was born in Dublin 1958; he is a self-taught painter who has pursued his artistic inclinations from his early youth. Gerry has travelled the world, working as an electrician and painting in sporadic bursts. Upon his return to Dublin in 1989 he became a full time painter with a wide variety of subject matter. Two main preoccupations are evident in his work – themes of light and shade, and his realistic painterly approach to his subject matter.
Inheriting his artistic traits from his great grandfather the idea of becoming a painter never seemed an odd choice for Gerard Byrne. Childhood memories, at his great grandfather’s house, of paintings hanging on every wall, and the scent of paint in the house “almost gave me the license to think about becoming a painter”.
Byrne has always taken the time to visit exhibitions admiring the work of Van Gogh, Matisse, Gauguin when in Paris in the Musée d’Orsée, or absorbing the energy and movement of the impressionists in the Metropolitan, New York. Poetry and Opera also inspire him for their emotive qualities.
Like many of the impressionists, with his out of door scenes, he works en plein air working with or at times against the elements. He uses oil for its “buttery finish” and the way it flows and mixes on the canvas. Colour is of the utmost importance to Gerry as it is always a challenge to imitate nature and capture light. He welcomes this challenge with interest.

Gerard is exploring the themes of impressionism in a contemporary manner capturing the transience and atmosphere, but most of all the emotion