Cormac Boydell is one of Ireland's foremost artists working in clay. The process of making and the nature of matter are central to his art and so hands are the only tools he uses . He develops all glazes and colours from basic earth minerals, and works almost exclusively with Irish clays. He trained and worked as a geologist before coming to live in Allihies in 1972 and has been working as a full-time professional artist since 1983. His ceramics are represented in major public collections in Ireland, such as The National Museum of Ireland, The Ulster Museum, and The National Self Portrait Collection. He lives with the artist Rachel Parry.

Cormac continues to explore different media, including glass, minerals, drawing and printing, so as to broaden his studio work.

Artist's Statement. 'I am inspired by Prehistoric and tribal art, van Gogh, the New York abstracts of the 1950's, Tapies and Beuys amongst others and the incidental abstraction that surrounds us. What is important to me is a close relationship with materials, the enjoyment of art as a medium of communication, and a sense that art has a spiritual centre.'

Resumé

BACKGROUND:

1946 Born in Dublin.
1959 - 64 School Art Teacher: Oisin Kelly.
1968 Honours Degree in Natural Sciences, Trinity College, Dublin 1968- 72 Professional geologist, Australia.
1972 - present: Resident in Allihies, at the extreme west of the Beara peninsula.

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS:

1973- 74 Irish Exhibition of Living Art.
1983 Art Objet. Paris.
1984 9ieme Biennale Internationale de Ceramique d'Art, Vallauris.
1985 Cork Art Now.
1985 Eva, Limerick.
1986 GPA Emerging Artists. see picture
1987 S.A.D.E.
1987 Critical Sense of Contemporary Art, Limerick.
1992- 00 Beara Artists, Berehaven.
1993 Cork-Cracow Exchange, Galleria Prizmat, Krakow.
1994 Grainstore gallery, Galway Arts Week.
1994 A Renaissance of Irish Craft, Philadelphia.
1995 Potters Choice, Crafts Council, Dublin.
1995 Samhlaiocht, Tralee.
1995 A Celebration of Printmaking, West Cork Arts Centre.
1995 lontas, Sligo.
1996 Pan Celtic, Lorient, Brittany.
1996 The Ancient Landscape Revisited, The Burren.
1996 Fís - Artist-Architect Collaboration Project, Temple Bar and Limerick.
1997 Irish Contemporary Ceramics, Dublin, Sligo, Limerick, Belfast.
2000 Eurofire, Liege, Belgium.
2000-01 Irish Contemporary Ceramics, Scotland Belfast, Limerick and Sligo.
2000 Sarah Walker Gallery, Castletownbere, Co. Cork.
2001 A Focus on Drawing, City of Limerick Gallery, Crawford Gallery Cork.
2001 Millcove Gallery, Castletownbere, Co. Cork
2001 The Fenton Gallery Cork- Pre Christmas exhibition
2002-03 Of Colour in Craft, Crafts Council Gallery, Kilkenny, Belfast and USA
2003 Featured invited artist at Schull Arts Festival
2004 Collectors Choice, National Crafts Gallery, Kilkenny
2004 CASe Exhibition, The Lavitt Gallery, Cork
2004-05 C2 Exhibition, The Crawford Municipal Gallery, Cork
2005 National Craft Gallery Review 00-04, Kilkenny.
2005 National Botanic Gardens, Dublin. Sculpture in Context 2005 Hunt Museum, Limerick. Crafts Council Collectors Exhibition.
2005 Keane on Ceramics, Kinsale. Two-person exhibition.
2005-6 National Museum of Ireland at Collins Barracks, Not Just Pots (Irish Ceramics of the 21st Century), Dublin
2006-2007 Irish Contemporary Ceramics, 3rd National Tour, Limerick, Sligo, Kilkenny, Dublin.
2006 JJ O’Shea Gallery, Killarney, June .
2006 European Ceramic Context 2006,Art Museum of Bornholm, Denmark, Sept 8 to Oct 22, selected to represent Ireland with Deirdre McLoughlin see picture
2006. SOFA, Chicago, November.
2007 Lavit Gallery Cork

SOLO EXHIBITIONS: see picture

1985 Man of Ecstasy, Kenmare - County Kerry.
1990 Allihies Work (sculpture - nature installation), Crawford Municipal Gallery. Cork see picture
1992 Temple Bar Gallery (sculpture - nature installation), Dublin.see picture
1997 Brigit and the Holy Well (sculpture - nature installation), West Cork Arts Centre.
1999 Ceramics at Ceadogan Rugs, County Wexford.
1999 Studio Exhibition. Allihies.
2001- 7 Studio Exhibition. Allihies
2003 The Fenton Gallery Cork (with John Graham) see image

COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS:

1996 Fís Artist - Architect Project. Sculpture and acoustic installation for Irish Museum Art - proposal with Simon Conolly.
1996 Kerry County Council. Elected to panel of artists for public commissions - proposal with Simon Conolly
1996 Sirius Project, Cobh. Co. Cork - communication and tidal clock - proposal with Simon Conolly
1998 Cork County Council. Shortlisted proposal with Simon Conolly for feature at Skiberreen

CORPORATE AND PUBLIC COLLECTIONS INCLUDE:

Crawford Municipal Gallery of Art, Cork. National Museum of Ireland, Dublin. Ulster Museum, Belfast. Department of Foreign Affairs, Dublin. Allied lrish Banks Headquarters, London. Department of Arts Culture and the Gaeltacht, Dublin. National Self-Portrait Collection, Limerick.National University of Ireland at Maynooth.St Mary’s Credit Union Navan.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE INCLUDES:

Arts Council of Ireland Artists in Schools programme, Kerry & Cork. Arts Council Artists in Prison programme, Cork. Seminars in Colleges of Art, Cork, Limerick, Belfast, Dublin, at The National Sculpture Factory (Cork) and the Firestation Galleries (Dublin). Presentations on Art and Geology at Trinity College, Dublin and University College, Cork. Presentations on Art and the Environment for students of The Art Institute of Chicago and of Penn State University. Introduction to Ceramics for children with special needs. Demonstrator at the annual Craft Potters Society of Ireland seminar, Thomastown 2004., Arts Council Artist in School, Kenmare Community School, 2004-5., Enable Ireland (Cork) 2005., Samhlaiocht, Tralee, 2006.

COMMISSIONS INCLUDE:

1993 Plan Building of the Year Award.
1994 Cothú -The Business Council for the Arts. Arts Sponsor of the Year Awards.
1996 Department of Foreign Affairs.
1996 Cork International Choral Festival.
1996 Guardian International Piano Competition.
1998 Department of Foreign Affairs.
1995-04 Boyle Arts Festival.
2001 The Education Centre, Kildare Town
2001-2 Largescale ceramic and glass outdoor sculptures for private clients.
2001 Two Tile Panels for The Merrion Inn, Dublin.
1995 - 2002 Boyle Arts Festival
2003 Golden Moments Teaset commission from Barry's Tea Ltd.
2004 50th Cork International Choral Festival
2004 West Cork Music
2005 Five Sculptures in ceramic and glass for St Mary’s Credit Union, Navan, County Meath.

BIBLIOGRAPHY INCLUDES:

Aidan Dunne: Craft Review Issue no. 1. 1991. The Sunday Tribune, 4th September, 1994.
Jo Durden-Smith: Departures, New York, July/August, 1996.
Gandon Editions Portfolio no. 1, 1991.
Marion Fitzgerald: Ireland of the Welcomes, Vol. no. 43, no. 1.
Irish Arts Review 1994.
Hilary O'Kelly: Allihies Work. The Crawford Gallery, Cork .1990.
Sean McCrum: GPA Irish Arts Review Year Book, 1988.
Peter Lamb: Irish Arts Review, 1999.
The Coracle Press: Of Colour in Craft, 2002. Irish Arts Review: 2004
Jo Kerrigan: Ireland of the Welcomes, Vol. no. 55, no. 3.(2006).