Derval graduated from Limerick School of Art and Design in 1996 with a diploma in fine art painting. She has exhibited in several solo and group shows throughout her career and her work is in many private collections. Some of the highlights of Derval’s career was taking up an artist residency in Cill Rialaig Co. Kerry some years ago and more recently she was an invited artist by the Hamilton Gallery Sligo to participate in two of their invited artist’s group exhibitions. One was earlier this year titled, ‘Eva Gore Booth’ and the other titled ‘Among School Children’, which is currently running until the end of summer 2020.
Originally from Co. Clare, Derval has been living in Co. Wicklow for the past five years where she has been able to paint full time. She goes out walking regularly and love’s to be surrounded by nature and the open landscape. Her painting style leans towards abstract expressionism and there is an element of the figurative in the work too.
Her inspirations come from her life experiences past and present and from nature and the wonder of the universe. Her painting process always start’s with the drawing. She mixes loose pencil and charcoal under drawings with layers in oils and cold wax. She is interested in how the loose under drawings dictate the paint. She has also an in interest in colour, how one works off the other and how monotones of lights and darks influence colour.
