Maggie O’Brien’s love affair with Cornwall began in childhood with family holidays in and around St Ives. What started as a holiday diversion became a nagging compulsion which led her to return again and again as an adult and, by now, a trained artist.

In 2006 Maggie moved permanently to live in St. Just-in-Penwith with her husband and three sons and she now says “I find it hard to believe, after years of being a visitor that I am lucky enough to live in this extraordinary place”.

In relation to her new body of work, Maggie says “I often work and paint outside but usually the paintings are made in the studio and are a mixture of place, memory and imagination. My work is an emotionally driven exploration of light, weather and the patterns and rhythms of the seasons.

“I use a variety of techniques and materials and some images are more abstract than others. Painting, for me, is a ritual of burial and retrieval and most of the
images when they emerge are hard won.”

Maggie O’Brien trained at Central St Martins (Foundation), Camberwell (BA Hons - Fine Art & Drawing) and Wimbledon (MA Drawing). She is an energetic and pro-active exhibitor with venues in London, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.