Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Diarmuid Kelly. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Diarmuid, thanks for joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

Thankfully I have been able to earn a full time living from my artwork but I have definitely went the long way about it. It took me a long time to decide if this profession was a sensible career choice for me. That being said I had always stayed very active as an amateur artist, placing well in juried Art competitions with professional artists. Being visible is important as an artist. I do regret not being been more competitive on an international level. Had I received formal training as an artist I think I would have seen the pitfalls quicker on the business end of being a full time artist. I would highly recommend taking a course in business studies for anyone wishing to follow the artist career path. We are in sales afterall.

Diarmuid, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have drawn or painted all of my life, literally since I could hold a crayon. Regardless of how my day was going I always made time to sit down with a pen and paper and get something down, something that influenced me that day, something that inspired me. I have always been drawn to animation, the hand drawn animation cells by Hanna/ Barbera. So animation was my first choice as an artist, however that was changing in the late 80’s as I graduated from secondary school ( highschool) in Ireland. Hand painted animation cells were being replaced by CGI, computer generated artwork, which had no appeal to me. I have always had great respect for artists, craftsmen and women that could create something with their bare hands from their imagination. I feel we have lost a little of that in the world we live in today. I think we have grown into a society where we are more about quantity over quality.
I am proud that I have stuck to my guns and maintain a high level of quality in my oil paintings. I draw inspiration from the Italian and Dutch masters, implementing some of their techniques and styles into my own contemporary subject matter. People who meet me expect me to be a lot older due to my style of painting, so I guess I’m a bit of an old soul. I am good with that. I’m proud that I keep pushing the classical style of painting in my classes for as long as people are interested. If we want to be the best at anything I think it’s important that we never forget who were the masters at their craft.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

In my humble opinion I would recommend that you buy from an artist that you know. Buy and support local artists. I see collectors buying artwork from galleries simply because they are being told by critics that they have to have it. You can be everyone’s darling one minute and dropped like a hot potatoe the next. I watched a documentary a few years ago called The Price of everything. It’s an educational insight into the ups and downs of the art world and how it all works amongst the elite artists, galleries and collectors. It didn’t leave a good taste in my mouth,

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I have found that Instagram is a more professional environment for posting images of artwork. Also videos of your work in progress, before and after each painting session. People love to see the process.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://DiarmuidKelly.com
• Instagram: Diarmuidkellyfineart
• Facebook: Diarmuid Kelly Art

Image Credits

Diarmuid Kelly
Diarmuid Kelly
Diarmuid Kelly
Diarmuid Kelly