Gerald Francis O'Dowd

BEAUTIFUL WORLD EXHIBITION (2021)

Gerald has created new work for this exhibition alongside 11 other artists.

His works include 3 paintings, 3 photos and a film.

The paintings are acrylic on canvas. They represent his fascination in the Rasta lifestyle and the universal theme of love and peace.

The photos celebrate the beauty of nature with a rose and a wild meadow. The third photo is a metaphor for what we can’t see but we know there is a natural energy power in our world of nature’s beauty.

The film is entitled Diagnosed.

The subject of the show is saving our beautiful world .The idea is one of compassion, empathy and a united effort to save our world and the life of human beings, a sense of hope and reconciliation between nature and mankind.

ART FROM THE HEART (2021)

Gerald O'Dowd has been working for the last year on a new book called ART FROM THE HEART. A collection of a selection of his artworks dating from 1980 to the present time. The book will allow the reader an opportunity to experience the colourful, and sometimes tortured life of a passionate artist.

Artworks included in the book cover an array of emotions; yet, they express Gerald's warm and loving nature which exudes through his art. Whether he is using film, sculpture, painting, poetry, or song, his expressive style will have you uplifted by the spectrum of colour and light as he conveys his beliefs in the power of love, providing a unique and fascinating journey into his mind and life.

ART FROM THE HEART will be available to buy in the next few days from this website and can be shipped worldwide. The first edition will be limited to only 100 copies, all of which will be personally signed, and numbered by Gerald himself. The book has been professionally produced and designed with great care and love, Gerald is very proud of the final product and cannot wait to share it with you all.

music Makers (2019)

Music Makers Julie Bennett and Gerald O’Dowd: Exploring the interplay of art and music

Hackney Picturehouse The Gallery, 2nd Floor, 270 Mare St, London E8 1HE

Exhibition: 2-29 April 2019, 11am-10pm
Private View: Thursday 4 April 6-9.30pm BOOK NOW
Closing Party: Monday 29 April 6-9.30pm

Hackney Picturehouse is delighted to present the first joint exhibition of artists Julie Bennett and Gerald O’Dowd.

What influence has music had on you? Most people can name at least one musician that has had a strong impact on their lives. Who would you choose?

This exhibition of new work by visual artists Bennett and O’Dowd explores their connection with their musical icons. Listening to music has had a profound and ongoing influence on both of their practices and on them personally. However, it is the stories of the icons behind the sounds - their lives, fame, and art - that inspires the most. Drawing from very different experiences, the artists present work influenced by subjects who, in addition to creating music, have expressed their creativity in visual form.

Crossing over five decades of music, this series includes Patti Smith, Florence Welch, John Lennon, Bob Marley, Boy George, David Bowie, Courtney Love, Yoko Ono and others.

Julie Bennett is driven by her lifelong obsession with music, spending her teenage years working at a record shop and after graduation, working as a graphic designer at some of the top UK music and celebrity magazines. Her bold, unapologetically confident portraits celebrate both the unknown and the famous through the immediacy of her paint handling. Dripping wet, broad-brush marks give an appearance of works that are fresh out of the studio.

Gerald O’Dowd spent his childhood surrounded by music, everything from Irish rebel songs to David Bowie, blues and reggae. Stating Bob Marley as his first musical interest, O’Dowd studied Fine Art at the University of East London. He uses his art practice as ongoing therapy following an acute bout of mental illness in the 90s. He creates emotionally charged works using film, sculpture, painting, poetry, and song to convey his belief in the power of love and unity.

A Spotify playlist has been specially created for the exhibition.