GENERAL INFORMATION

John O'Carroll was born in England and brought up between Texas and Cornwall. He graduated with distinction in fine art and art history. He now works and lives for much of the time in Amsterdam.

His work is in many private art collections throughout Europe, such as the Dutch Insurance Company, NCM's British headquarters in Cardiff, the extensive modem art collection at the Amsterdam AMC hospital, the Royal Collection in The Hague, AKZO NOBEL art collection in Arnhem, and in the Pulitzer Collection in Amsterdam.

John divides his time between Amsterdam, Dakhla Oasis, (Egypt), Cornwall and Ireland.

In Egypt he works partly as an archaeological illustrator for the Dakhla Oasis Project, in the Western Desert , (director Tony Mills ) and it is there , and in Cornwall , where he draws most of his inspiration for his work which is based on his fascination for nature, time , space , colour and energy.

His work is the result of a contemporary imagination with a strong primordial impact.

In all his work he uses natural pigments which he finds in the desert, sometimes together with oils, but more usually with the ancient techniques of encaustic (hot wax) , secco-graffito, egg tempera and cartonnage , worked on panel, canvas or hand made papers.

His breakthrough came through the support from the Mondrian Foundation, and Gallery Charlotte Daneel, at the KUNSTRAI in Amsterdam, the most important contemporary art fair in the Netherlands, where he received both media and Royal acclaim.

Apart from exhibiting frequently at the KUNSTRAI, and other art fairs, John O'Carroll has exhibited in New York (Holly Soloman Gallery), Alexandria (L'Atelier and British Council) Strasburg, Houston, Amsterdam, Cairo, and Cornwall. His work is permanently represented on mainland Europe, by Gailerie Nanky De Vreeze, Amsterdam.

In 1998 he had a major exhibition, at AKZO- NOBEL's Arnhem headquarters, which included two important installations, curated by Hester Alberdink- Thijme , followed by two smaller exhibitions , leading up to' ECHO', his first large scale exhibition in co-operation with Gailerie Nanky De Vreeze, Amsterdam.

John is currently working towards an exhibition, sponsored by the British Embassy, Cairo, opening January 2001. His work will include a combination of colour field abstraction and also including for the first time, examples of his archaeological illustrations.