ARTIST BIO
Aisling Drennan, a Master in Fine Art graduate from Central Saint Martins, is a contemporary abstract painter whose work explores the tactile and playful qualities of oil paint. Her artistic techniques of scratching off paint and layering coloured pencils over thick pain thereby adding texture, complexity, and character to each piece. This process of building up and then erasing or revealing layers creates depth, inviting the viewer to look beyond the surface and engage with the work on a deeper level.
Drennan’s work draws inspiration from the American Abstract Expressionist movement and her background as a former professional Irish dancer with Riverdance. Artists such as Joan Mitchell, Sean Scully, and Willem de Kooning have significantly influenced her journey, shaping her distinct balance between chaos and structure.
The intention behind her current series of floral paintings was to challenge traditional representations, moving away from the typical “pretty flowers in a vase” composition. The aim was to create floral paintings that surprise and intrigue, blurring the boundaries of floral shapes while hinting at the essence of an interior space.
Aisling won the Freyer Award for excellence in contemporary painting from the Royal Dublin Society of Arts (2011). Her work was shortlisted for the John Moore’s painting prize, Jackson’s Open painting prize and the Visual Art Open (2018). She received an Arts Bursary from the Women’s Irish Network in partnership with the UK Irish Embassy (2020) and was a selected artist for the Royal Ulster Academy’s exhibition the same year. Her work featured in the Royal Cambrian Academy of Art’s annual exhibition (2023) and at Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant in the Savoy Hotel, London.
