Born in Newry, Ireland (1978), Magill studied Fashion at Ravensbourne College of Design & Communication in London before returning to the Belfast School of Art & Design in 2006 to complete a BA (Hons)degree in Fine and Applied Arts. His oil on canvas landscapes are held in many private and corporate collections, most notably DIAGEO, the world's leading premium drinks business. He was also the recent recipient of the 2009 Diageo emerging artist award for his outstanding degree show at the University of Ulster.

His painting practice is drawn from the genre of eerie landscape painting, focusing on abandoned spaces/places, with the imagery drawn from graveyards and derelict houses. These abandoned places can sometimes seem charged with a great sense of loss, isolated and haunting – like the mourning of a death, opposed to the time when they were once filled with life.

In a recent review Judith Robinson describes how "working on landscape pieces, Ciaran has infused his canvases with colour and detail to produce a vibrant collection. Using photographs of the landscape, both around him and overseas, he has been able to recreate scenes, adding a few twists and really emphasising colour."

“I paint what I would like to see in a landscape - bursting with colour and texture. Each painting is layered several times to achieve an edgy effect.' This edgy aspect is interesting in Ciaran's work. 'I wanted to create a feeling of eeriness in my paintings to show that whilst the landscape is beautiful, it can also be a very lonely place.”-(ROBINSON, JUDITH. 'Ciaran Magill Fine Art' Northern Ireland Homes and Lifestyle Magazine, Belfast, Issue 34, July/August 2009, p 97)

Curriculum Vitae

 EDUCATION/QUALIFICATIONS:

University of Ulster, Belfast        BA (Hons) in Fine and Applied Arts                     2006-2009
University of Ulster, Belfast        Foundation Studies in Art and Design                1998-1999      

 
SOLO EXHIBITIONS:

2009                 EERIE TWILIGHT, Down Arts Centre, Downpatrick, N. Ireland
                          FLOWERS BLOOM IN DESOLATE PLACES, University of Ulster, York Street, Belfast

2007                 DREAMSCAPES, The Art Gallery, Newcastle Library, N. Ireland

GROUP EXHIBITIONS:

2009     SPOOKY TWILIGHT, Montmartre Gallery, Lisburn, N. Ireland

2008     WISH YOU WERE HERE, Naughton Gallery, Queen’s University, Belfast

2007    OPEN, Surface Gallery, Nottingham, England
             FROM THE EDGE 2, Kilkenny County Council Arts Gallery, Ireland           
             WARNING, Catalyst Arts Gallery, Belfast, N. Ireland                      

AWARDS:

2009      DIAGEO Emerging Artist Award

REVIEWS/PUBLICATIONS:

ROBINSON, JUDITH. “Ciaran Magill Fine Art”, Northen Ireland Homes & Lifestyle Magazine, Belfast,
issue 34, July/August 2009, p 97

 PUBLIC/CORPORATE COLLECTIONS:

DIAGEO Northern Ireland
Kilkenny County Council, Ireland
Surface Gallery, Nottingham, England