Derval Freeman
Derval Freeman
Derval Freeman is an Irish artist who has been based in County Wicklow for over the past ten years. She grew up in Nenagh, County Tipperary, and later moved to County Clare with her family several years before graduating from Limerick School of Art and Design in 1996. Despite life's personal demands in her formative years as an artist, she managed to find time to develop her painting practice wherever she could over the years.
In recent years, Derval has been able to paint on a more full-time basis, and her daily life revolves around her exploration of colour in painting. She has a deep passion for nature, both while hiking in the nearby mountains and forests, and also for the nature beyond our planet in stargazing, drawing inspiration from the wonders of the cosmos. She draws connections between both to her own sense of being and existence, particularly in relation to her experiences being adopted and the emotions, questions, and fears that can arise from it. She is intrigued by the vastness of the universe and our place as a human race within it.
Derval has had the opportunity to showcase her work in numerous group exhibitions, including notable invitations to participate in several group exhibitions with the Hamilton Gallery in Sligo. Some of her exhibitions include "Eva Gore Booth," exhibited at the Museum of Literature (MoLI) in Dublin, as well as "Among School Children," "Meditations of Time in Civil War," "St. Brigid’s Well," and the Impressions group show. Her work has been featured in these exhibitions touring China in association with The Hamilton Gallery and the Irish ambassador in China, reaching cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.
She has had work selected for recent exhibitions curated by ArtNet Dun Laoghaire, including "Transience", curated by Carmel Benson "Conversation with Trees", curated by Eamon Colman and "Interdependence", curated by Cian McLaughlin. Derval was awarded artist residencies in 2007 and 2022 at the Cill Rialaig Artist Residency in County Kerry. She was also pre-selected for the John Richardson French Residency in 2023 and 2024, where she was highly commended for her work among the selected artists in 2024. Additionally, she has held several solo exhibitions over the years, including her most recent in 2023 titled "Wanderings" at The Seamus Ennis Arts Centre's Easter Snow Gallery. The exhibition was opened by renowned Áosdana member Eamon Colman, who also wrote an essay on her show, which can be read in the following link. https://dervalfreeman.com/a-place-called-home/
