Shane Buka Gannon

Born in Breaffy in the west of Ireland I gained an interest in painting at an early age. Influenced by my fathers work as well as the freedom of Jack B. Yeats' paintings I went on to study Fine-Art at the Galway Mayo Institute of Technology where I developed a strong interest in Abstract Expressionism. Here my work developed through an awareness of artists such as Jackson Pollock, Tony O'Malley, Francis Bacon, Howard Hodgkin and Barry Cook - culminating in my degree show, combining elements of figurative and landscape in tonal, textured compositions.

Since college I have worked on various projects along with working and traveling throughout Europe. I'm now working in Kilkenny where in 2006 I organized and curated an exhibition for the Kilkenny Arts Festival entitled 'Awakenings'. I've also exhibited in various group and solo exhibitions around Ireland including Galway, Castlebar, Waterford, Westport, Kilkenny and Tipperary. I'm currently working on my next solo exhibition and a group exhibition both due to start in autumn 2008.