Marie Louise Martin

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Marie-Louise's work has been seen in a variety of contemporary art shows, both internationally and all over Ireland. She has had recent solo shows of her work in galleries in Ireland and in the UK; her work is available through the galleries in Dublin, listed below, and also directly from the studio. Commissioning Marie-Louise to create an edition of original prints for you to give as gifts couldn't be easier... contact Marie-Louise here

Marie-Louise was born in Dublin in 1960. From school, she went to the National College of Art and Design and studied Fine Art (painting and printmaking) from 1978 to 1983. In her final year, her tutor, the late John Kelly, suggested that she approach the newly opened Black Church Print Studio with a portfolio of work. The studio at that time had very few members but, she recalls, it was a fantastically exciting place to work; in those early days there were several exhibitions, both in Ireland and internationally (including China, Finland, Sweden, Cuba and the U.S.) Later, she was elected to the studio's board of directors. It was a particularly difficult period for the studio; even while there were increasing numbers in membership, and had a number of projects lined up, the Black Church's buildings were destroyed by fire. The studio was forced to start again from scratch; looking for new premises and keeping the salvaged equipment safe was a big part of the board's undertaking. Despite this, the studio and its indomitable members, managed to put on a Large Format Exhibition. It was a great success; attracting quite a number of overseas entrants.

Latterly Marie-Louise has taken a less involved role in the Black Church Studio, but remains a committed member. She now serves on the council of The Friends of the National Collections of Ireland; work that is rewarding in that the Friends seek to donate important works to the various collections in Ireland that might otherwise have missed an opportunity to acquire one.

Meanwhile, in 1999, Marie-Louise established a print studio for the Airfield Educational Trust in Dundrum, Dublin; and then, early in 2010, a short decade later, she has established a home studio for herself. This new space is self-contained, and affords her the freedom to explore new avenues in her printmaking; avenues that might not have been open to her in her last working space

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