Maura O’Rourke is a self-taught painter based in Dublin, Ireland.

From an early age Maura showed an aptitude for painting and drawing, but it was not until the 1990s that she devoted her professional energies to painting.

Her first formal training was in design; she graduated from the Grafton Academy with a diploma in Fashion Design, Tailoring and Art in her early twenties and wen on to work in the fashion industry.

Although she had always painted since her childhood, it was in the 1990s that Maura began to paint more seriously. Her early work concentrated on seascapes and landscapes of Ireland - themes that have dominated her work since that time. Her skill and standing as painter grew steadily and she was soon in demand as a teacher. This led to the foundation of the Ardgillan Art Workshop, which has now been running successfully for almost 20 years.

In 1997 O’Rourke mounted her first international show in France, supported by the Fingal County Leader programme. She continued to exhibit internationally, and her collections Changing Surfaces and Trading Places (2000) and The Irish Famine (2001) were both mounted in the Irish Arts Centre, New York.

Maura began working collaboratively with artists from home and abroad on The Green Grass, Blue Grass, New Grass Project an Irish/American art exchange. These projects resulted in multiple group exhibitions of work produced in conjunction with artists from Belfast and Kentucky.

In 2011 Maura worked with renowned artist and author Don Conroy which resulted in a very successful joint exhibition.

Maura’s practice continued to grow and expand, as she moved in the American market with collections of work for limited edition print in 2011. She was the selected artist present for IBAM at Chicago 2012 with a collection of work exploring Derry and Northern Ireland entitled A Journey toward Understanding through Art. This collection was shown in both Chicago and Derry.

Commissions continue to be a big part of Maura’s work. She considers herself lucky to work in a field that fascinates her and about which she is passionate.