Comhghall Casey was born in Donegal, he spent his childhood in Omagh, County Tyrone where his family moved in 1979. In 1994, Casey moved to Belfast to study art and design at the University of Ulster. He moved to live and work in Dublin shortly after graduating. In 2002, he was one of the Two Northern Contemporaries exhibition at the Gorry Gallery.
Casey’s unique method of painting and distinctive realist style is easily recognisable. He is known for painting everyday objects, such as plants and children’s toys, on a tabletop against a neutral background. Taking time to carefully study his subjects, Casey produces paintings of common objects rarely studied, or even acknowledged, under such scrutiny. As seen in Lot 68, the simplicity of a wooden spoon becomes monumental when depicted under intense detail and scrutiny. Against a simple, neutral background, the wooden spoon is the focus of the composition, a highly detailed study of an everyday object.
Regarding his work, Casey explained “The painting begins with an intense period of observation from life. Subsequently, over a period of months, I adjust the balance of colour, tone and line. The resulting images are tangible, distinct and convincing, with an understated presence extending beyond the subject depicted.”
Casey’s work has been exhibited with the Royal Ulster Academy, the Royal Hibernian Academy, the Emer Gallery, the Solomon Fine Art gallery, BP National Portrait Awards, and Zurich Portrait Prize.
Casey’s unique method of painting and distinctive realist style is easily recognisable. He is known for painting everyday objects, such as plants and children’s toys, on a tabletop against a neutral background. Taking time to carefully study his subjects, Casey produces paintings of common objects rarely studied, or even acknowledged, under such scrutiny. As seen in Lot 68, the simplicity of a wooden spoon becomes monumental when depicted under intense detail and scrutiny. Against a simple, neutral background, the wooden spoon is the focus of the composition, a highly detailed study of an everyday object.
Regarding his work, Casey explained “The painting begins with an intense period of observation from life. Subsequently, over a period of months, I adjust the balance of colour, tone and line. The resulting images are tangible, distinct and convincing, with an understated presence extending beyond the subject depicted.”
Casey’s work has been exhibited with the Royal Ulster Academy, the Royal Hibernian Academy, the Emer Gallery, the Solomon Fine Art gallery, BP National Portrait Awards, and Zurich Portrait Prize.
