Neil Carrigan was born in Derry and is based in Derry and Moville, Ireland. He has grown up with artistic influences from his mothers’ family. Neil’s mother Rosina is an artist, now retired from painting professionally, his aunt Sr. Aloysious MFA. (Yale). is an iconographer, his aunts Sr. Perpetua and Ita Sheehan specialise in watercolour, and Phil (Maggie) Rosenfeld specialises in Chinese watercolour painting.
Neil takes pride in being self taught, although readily acknowledges the influences and encouragement he has received from his teachers Phil Grant, who, as he was not permitted to pursue art as a curricular subject, permitted him use of his schools art department ‘sub rosa’ as it were. Eventually having been ‘caught’ he continued his art studies at night class under Barney Mc Cormac, who introduced him to life study. Models were not permitted at the boys only college which he attended! Neil has attended an annual Master class with the Irish School of Landscape Painting, for the past few years receiving expert tutelage from Kenneth Webb, his daughter Susan and Sara Sue Mc Neill. He describes these five days of painting as ‘heaven on earth’ and enjoys the company of many recognised Irish artists, each of whom have had a positive influence on Neils’ art.
Working predominantly in oil paint Neil focuses on realistic impressionism in an academic style, although he frequently experiments with abstracting images and brings a strong element of design to all his work. His works show the simple beauty of the world through the use of strong colour harmonies.
He has paintings on Exhibition in the Christeph and Ace of Arts Galleries in Letterkenny, and the Edward Gallery in Derry. He has also exhibited at the ASU Annual Exhibition in Belfast. Although his paintings could be of any temperate climate, as he rarely paints the traditional panoramic landscape, they reflect the spiritual beauty of Ireland through colour and unique quality of light. Neil is a Committee Member of the Arts Society of Ulster.