Renowned Kilkenny artist, Jane O'Malley, has died

The death has taken place of renowned Kilkenny artist Jane O'Malley (née Harris).

Born in Montréal, Canada, in 1944, Jane met her husband, the late and well-known local artist Tony O'Malley, while working in St Ive’s in Cornwall in 1970, and they married in 1973.

Jane and her husband worked side by side throughout their life together and eventually settled in Physicianstown, west of Callan, in 1990.

Just as she devoted herself to his healthcare during his lifetime, Jane O’Malley has been hugely responsible for preserving the legacy of her late husband’s work following his passing in 2003.

Her own importance as a champion of Tony’s life work often meant that she did not promote her own paintings and prints as she might otherwise have done.

Much of her work documents their shared life and the wonderful garden she created around their home in Physicianstown.

Jane had an eye for beauty and a gift for creating a strong sense of place, which is reflected in much of her subject matter.

Jane displayed a confidence in her use of line right from the beginning. She loved to draw as a child and the more she drew, the stronger the work became.

Jane O’Malley has shown widely in the UK and Ireland, with solo exhibitions at Taylor Galleries, Dublin; Riverrun Gallery, Limerick; Montpelier Studio, London; Stour Gallery, Warwickshire; as well as Plymouth Arts Centre, the Salt House Gallery and Penwith Gallery in St. Ives.

Her work has been included in group exhibitions at the Stour Gallery, Warickshire; Dyehouse Gallery, Waterford; Black Church Print Studio, Dublin; and the RHA Gallagher Gallery.

O’Malley’s work is part of private collections in Ireland, America and Europe, and features in the public collections of AIB, Bank of Ireland, the OPW, Dublin City University, the Arts Council of Ireland, Prudential Life Assurance and Kelly’s Strand Hotel, Co. Wexford.

In a tribute, Butler Gallery stated that news of Jane's passing was met 'with great sadness'.

"Jane's work can be seen in our O'Malley galleries, named after both Jane, and her late husband, the artist Tony O'Malley, whose legacy she tirelessly worked to preserve since his death in 2003.

"A gentle, warm and charismatic person with a great sense of humour, Jane was always a joy to be with. She was a great supporter of Butler Gallery and we will miss her hugely.
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"The entire team and board of Butler Gallery send sincerest condolences to Chris, Jane's brother, and all of Jane's family and close friends."